Alliums

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the genetic manipulation of crop Allium species. Section 1 starts by briefly covering aspects of crop Allium history, industry, and flavor characteristics. The section ends on cultivation and breeding of Alliums, which leads into a justification for the use of genetic modification technologies for these crops. Section 2 covers herbicide‐resistant, disease‐resistant, and insect‐resistant traits and techniques such as RNA interference and targeted expression that are currently under investigation in crop Alliums through the use of genetic modification technology. The section finishes with a comprehensive overview of the current techniques available for the genetic modification of Allium species. Section 3 outlines the future prospects for the use of genetic modification of crop Alliums.