Biochemical, cellular and molecular aspects of Cymbidium orchids: an ecological and economic overview

With over a millennium history of cultivation, Cymbidium species and hybrids is one of the most commercially important orchids in world floriculture industry. The Cymbidium genus has near 75 species with ornamental and medicinal importance and thousands of hybrids used for pot and cut flower production. Plant tissue culture techniques for breeding and large-scale propagation associated with greenhouses cultivation in sophisticated systems were used to accelerate the plant development until commercial flowering and aiming the high quality, uniformity and productivity of flowers. In this review, the overview picture in Cymbidium has been deeply discussed, such as diversity and ecology of species, karyotype characterization, identification and characterization of species and cultivars by molecular markers, aroma compounds biosynthesized in some species, micropropagation of species, somaclonal variation originated from clonal propagation and applications in breeding, production of biomass and bioactive compounds, omics approaches and symbioses of some species with a mycorrhizal fungus. The information presented here is useful to understand actual application of biochemical, biotechnological, cellular and molecular tools associated with ecology, breeding and propagation in Cymbidium species and cultivars.