Research Progress on Germplasm Resources and Application of Lagerstroemia indica

Lagerstroemia is a native plant in China, which has been cultivated for more than 1 500 years. It is an excellent summer flower woody plant, and is widely used in urban landscaping because of its beautiful color, long flowering period and the advantage of purifying air. The germplasm resources of Lagerstroemia indica are extremely rich. There are about 60 species of Lagerstroemia in the world, 40% of which are in China. The results of national and regional investigations have laid a good foundation for the study of L. indica. In recent years, the cultivation and application of new cultivars have been increased in various regions. The breeding method is mainly traditional breeding, and many new cultivars with good characters and high market value have been cultivated. With the rapid development of breeding technology and molecular biology, a breakthrough has been made in the researches on molecular assisted breeding of L. indica. In this paper, the classification research, germplasm resources, breeding research and introduction and application of L. indica were reviewed. We systematically sorted out the germplasm resources of L. indica in China, including 24 wild species and 350 cultivars, discussed the research process and development trend of breeding of L. indica at home and abroad, and summarized the current situation of introduction and application research. In regard to the current research status of L. indica, this paper offered reflections on future research directions to enhance investigations of L. indica, improve germplasm resource banks, and establish information sharing channels; efforts on breeding should be expanded beyond flower color, fragrance, plant type, resistance and extension of flowering period; and biological and intelligent technologies should be leveraged to strengthen breeding techniques and accelerate innovation in L. indica germplasms. Continuous application forms for L. indica resources should be developed according to local conditions to fully realize their value.