In this thesis, we reviewed the state of the art of genome editing technologies, with a focus on CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the breeding of ornamental plant species. We described successful examples of the use of genome editing to modify aesthetic traits. Traditional breeding methods have disadvantages such as long duration, low accuracy and low genetic variability. CRISPR/Cas9 can solve these problems by enabling efficient, rapid and targeted genome editing, which is also heritable to the next generations. Despite all the advantages that CRISPR/Cas9 has over traditional breeding methods, it has its limitations. Some of these are the use in polyploid plant species, legal restrictions and the need for a complete assembled genome sequence of the plant, which is not available for many plant species. After reviewing the literature, we can confirm that breeding using biotechnological approaches, such as genome editing techniques is an effective way to obtain new varieties of ornamental plants. In the future, it will only become more useful, as better assembled genomes of several ornamental plant species will become available.
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