Current Status and Prospects of Orchid Crop in Sri Lankan Floriculture - Review

Sri Lanka has become one of the hot spots for quality floricultural products in South Asia. As floricultural products, Sri Lanka exports ornamental foliage plants, cut decorative foliage, cut flowers, aquarium plants, landscaping plants, flowers seeds and tissue culture plants. In the current floricultural market in Sri Lanka Orchid has been established well as a cut flower and potted plant. Dendrobium, Phalanopsis, Cattlya and Vanda are the most popular orchid genera in family Orchidaceae. Vanilla belongs to Orchid genera and is well-known ingredient in the food industry. Orchids have been used in Chinese and Japanese medicinal treatments since ancient times. Medicinal properties of orchids include antiinflammatory, antiviral, neuroprotective, wound healing and other valuable properties. Secondary metabolites which are known as phytochemicals leads to create these properties in orchids. Orchid cultivation in Sri Lanka can be developed by introducing new technologies such as gene transformation, biotechnology etc. methods. Developments in infrastructural facilities also contribute to uplift the industry in the future. This article focused on the status of orchid cultivation in the current floricultural industry in Sri Lanka.