Woody oil crop domestication in the genus Camellia: Perspectives on future breeding

Summary Oilseed Camellia, including diverse species within the Camellia genus, valued for high seed-oil content, is the dominant woody oil crop in China. We reviewed the key issues in oilseed Camellia domestication and its origin. Major oilseed Camellia species are polyploids within Camellia sect. Paracamellia, with the highest species diversity in the Nanling Mountains areas. Oilseed Camellia began to be cultivated as oil crops 400 years ago in the subtropical hilly areas of the Yangtze River Basin. Domestication may have led to significantly larger fruits and higher oleic acid content, but the genetic mechanisms remain unknown. Interspecific hybridization and polyploidization may have contributed to the origin of major oilseed Camellia, generating rich diversity in fruit traits. Perspectives are proposed on future breeding, including resolving molecular mechanisms of key traits, improving abiotic tolerance, and creating new germplasms via hybridizations. This review may guide the efficient exploration and utilization of genetic resources for improving oilseed Camellia.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  iScience

• Publication date

  2025-11-01

• Fields of study

  Agricultural and Food Sciences, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114205PMID 41458914PMCID 12741420
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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