Advances in the research of celery, an important Apiaceae vegetable crop

Abstract

Celery (Apium graveolens L.), one of the most important vegetables in Apiaceae family, is cultivated worldwide and utilized in food and cosmetic industries because it is an excellent source of vitamins, phenolic compounds, volatile oils and other nutrients. Celery extracts possess various medicinal properties, such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and lowering blood glucose and serum lipid levels. With the rapid advancements in molecular biology and sequencing technology, studies on celery have been performed. Numerous molecular markers and regulatory genes have been discovered and applied to improve celery. Research advances, including genetic breeding, genomics research, function genes and chemical composition, regarding celery are reviewed in this paper. Further exploration and application trends are briefly described. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on celery, an important Apiaceae vegetable crop.

Keywords:

• Celery
• breeding
• sequencing
• function genes
• chemical composition

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [31272175], Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University [NCET-11–0670] and Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).