Improvement of Fenugreek through Breeding Approaches and In Vitro Applications

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is an annual forage legume and an important aromatic medicinal plant that is commercially used as spices in major parts of the world. The plant is known for its superior qualities of pharmaceutically and nutraceutically rich in several phytochemicals including several important complex carbohydrates, amino acids, steroids and saponins. The commercial extraction of diosgenin, an important phytochemical from fenugreek is an attractive proposition. However it is important to make it economically viable by increasing the diosgenin content with genetic, agronomic and biotechnological methods and by reduction in the cost of production for beter commercial returns. This could possibly result in an attractive economic return for fenugreek growers and producers. In addition to common breeding approaches, modern tissue culture or in vitro techniques offers an important opportunity to improve the plant properties via genetic engineering and has recently been used as a tool for genetic transformations. This short review investigates the opportunity of fenugreek improvement through conventional breeding as well as application of modern in vitro