The genus Alstroemeria belongs to the family Alstroemeriaceae and comprises many ornamental species. This genus, including more than 60 species, is indigenous to South America. Thus far, numerous cultivars, which are used as cut flowers and potted plants worldwide, have been produced by interspecific hybridization and mutation breeding. Recently, biotechnological approaches are being applied in order to improve Alstroemeria strains. Interspecific hybrid plants have been produced by ovule cultures. By improving certain culture techniques, sexual incompatibility was overcome in some cross combinations using ovule cultures. Plant regeneration systems that involved the use of explants, immature ovules, leaves, etc., through callus cultures have been reported. Isolation of protoplasts and cultures resulting in plant regeneration were achieved by using the embryogenic callus. Particle bombardment and Agrobacterium-mediated procedures were applied for genetic transformation, and some transformed plants with marker genes were produced. The procedure of in vitro fertilization using single isolated gametes has been developed to study fertilization and early zygotic embryogenesis in higher plants. This technique will also be utilized as a novel strategy in plant breeding for inducing the fusion of gametes obtained from distantly-related incompatible species and for achieving direct gene transfer into isolated zygotes. In the case of Alstroemeria, isolation of egg cells and zygotes from ovules has been attempted in order to develop an in vitro fertilization technique
