3. Marker assisted breeding
An introgression program to transfer disease resistance genes into a horticulturally superior ornamental plant is a long range project. More so for rose, which consists of multiple crops within a crop as there are separate breeding programs for cut-rose flower cultivars, pot roses, and garden roses. Furthermore, each major category has several subcategories for which a range of colors and flower characteristics are desired. Thus to transform the rose as a crop to be resistant to any given disease, it would involve creating hundreds of new cultivars!