Molecular Plant Breeding 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 287-293 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/mpb 287 Review and Progress Open Access Breeding Strategies of Ginkgo biloba for Medicinal and Ornamental Uses: Progress, Challenges, and Future Perspectives Xichen Wang, Jianmin Zheng, Chuchu Liu Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang Colloge of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: chuchu.liu@jicat.org Molecular Plant Breeding, 2025, Vol.16, No.5 doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0029 Received: 08 Sep., 2025 Accepted: 11 Oct., 2025 Published: 20 Oct., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Wang et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the creative commons attribution license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang X.C., Zheng J.M., and Liu C.C., 2025, Breeding strategies of Ginkgo biloba for medicinal and ornamental uses: progress, challenges, and future perspectives, Molecular Plant Breeding, 16(5): 287-293 (doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0029) Abstract This study summarizes the progress, problems and future directions of Ginkgo biloba in medicinal and ornamental breeding, reviews traditional methods such as superior germplasm selection, hybridization and asexual reproduction, and also introduces modern technologies such as molecular marker-assisted selection, genomics and gene editing in enhancing medicinal quality and improving ornamental traits. The balance between medicinal quality and ornamental features was also discussed, as well as the possibilities for future climate adaptability and the breeding of new multi-purpose varieties. This research aims to provide theoretical references and technical support for the efficient utilization and industrial development of Ginkgo bilobaresources. Keywords Ginkgo biloba; Medicinal bioactive compounds; Ornamental traits; Molecular breeding; Genomic selection 1 Introduction Ginkgo biloba L. is one of the oldest existing gymnosperms. It holds a unique position in evolution and has high research value. Its leaves and seeds contain many medicinal components, especially flavonoids and terpene lactones. These ingredients are widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases, and are globally best-selling herbal medicines and dietary supplements (Wang et al., 2023; Yao et al., 2023). In addition, the Ginkgo biloba has a unique leaf shape and its leaves turn golden in autumn, making it an important ornamental tree in gardens and very common in urban greening and landscape beautification (Han et al., 2023). Ginkgo biloba has significant value both in medicine and ornamental purposes, but its genetic improvement and efficient breeding still face many challenges. Han et al. (2023) and Wang et al. (2023) demonstrated in their research that the life cycle of Ginkgo biloba is very long, with the juvenile stage possibly exceeding ten years, which slows down the progress of conventional breeding. Ginkgo biloba is dioecious and highly heterozygous. Its genetic background is very complex, making the stable inheritance and rapid aggregation of superior traits difficult (Yao et al., 2023). The genome of Ginkgo biloba is huge, and currently there is a lack of an efficient genetic transformation system. This has led to slow progress in molecular breeding and functional gene research, and limited the breeding efficiency of superior varieties. This study summarizes the latest progress of Ginkgo biloba in medicinal and ornamental breeding, analyzes the main difficulties in genetic diversity, molecular marker development and phenotypic selection, discusses the application prospects of efficient breeding techniques, and proposes possible breakthrough directions for the future. The objective of this research is to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the efficient utilization and industrial development of Ginkgo biloba resources. 2 Medicinal Value and Ornamental Importance of Ginkgo biloba 2.1 Key bioactive compounds (flavonoids, terpene lactones) and their pharmacological roles Ginkgo biloba leaves and fruits contain many bioactive components, among which the most important ones are flavonoids and terpene lactones. These components have multiple pharmacological effects, including antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-platelet aggregation, and can also protect nerves and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems (Figure 1) (Mohanta et al., 2014; Šamec et al., 2022).
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