Breeding for Nutritional and Organoleptic Quality in Vegetable Crops: The Case of Tomato and Cauliflower

Due to novel and more demanding consumers’ requirements, breeding of vegetable crops confronts new challenges improve the nutritional level overall appearance produce. Such objectives are not easy achieve considering complex genetic physiological bases. Overtime, plant breeders relied on a number technologies methods ever changing targets. F1 hybrid seed production allowed exploitation heterosis facilitated combination resistance other useful genes in uniform outperforming variety. Mutagenesis tissue culture techniques permitted induce variation, overcome crossing barriers, speed up achievement true-breeding lines. Marker-assisted selection was one milestones fastening selection, starting from early ’90s almost all companies. Only recently, however, omics tools genome editing being used as cutting-edge face old crops, with potential increase qualitative value crop cultivation solve malnutrition 10 billion people over next 30 years. In this manuscript, evolution approaches for quality is reviewed, reporting case studies tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis model systems fleshy fruit floral edible parts, respectively.