Review of Horseradish Breeding for Improved Root Quality and Yield in Illinois, USA

Horseradish cultivars are highly heterozygous clones and are maintained through asexual propagation, using root cuttings. For many years, horseradish was believed to be sterile and therefore impossible to improve by traditional sexual crosses. Prior to the 20th century, the only way to improve horseradish was to select and plant root cuttings from the most desirable plants. Moreover, the development of new improved horseradish cultivars has also been somewhat limited by the lack of viable seed resulting from low fertility of horseradish flowers. However, in Illinois, USA, a horseradish breeding program was initiated in the 1950s to develop additional cultivars to widen the genetic base of the few cultivars being grown at the time. In more recent years, the proven cross breeding technique has been primarily used to obtain new genotypes of horseradish, since it is more efficient in producing new improved cultivars, compared to the polycross method that had been previously used for decades to obtain new genetic combinations. Since horseradish is a minor specialty crop with very little available information regarding breeding procedures, this review was developed to provide a better understanding of pollination barriers and methods for fertility improvement, traditional breeding procedures and cultivar development, and traditional breeding achievements and limitations. The development of new horseradish cultivars is essential for the sustained success of the Illinois, USA industry since it provides growers with a continuous supply of new selections that have increased vigor, outstanding root quality, and high yields.