Breeding research and in vitro propagation to improve carvone production of caraway ( Carum carvi L.)

Abstract

The application of natural carvone from caraway essential oil as active ingredient in a new potato sprout inhibitor is expected to increase demand for caraway seed. In order to strengthen the supply side of this seed, amongst other things, breeding research is carried out towards carvone-productive varieties. The application of near infra-red spectrometry in a recurrent, divergent mass selection programme to improve carvone content of traditional winter-caraway has produced populations with ca. 15% higher content without loss of agronomic or seed production capacity. Crosses between non-shattering winter-caraway cv. Bleija and the annual variety Karzo have yielded a promising annual population with about 20% higher carvone productivity than the present standard Karzo. Details are presented of an in vitro propagation method using young umbels for explant. Its product in terms of clones and cuttings is being tested successfully on the scale of a breeding programme.