Search

This book covers the biotechnological advances being used for the understanding of plant diseases and the subsequent enhancement of disease resistance in crop plants. Chapters are focused on recent advances in sequencing technologies, computational resources and genomics tools useful for the identification of loci governing disease resistance. In addition, emphasis is given to novel approaches like genomic selection for achieving significant genetic gain for quantitative disease resistance. The book thoroughly describes sequencing-based approaches like whole genome sequencing, resequencing, and transcriptome profiling being explored for the understanding of disease resistance mechanisms. Finally, several chapters systematically describing the utilities and concerns of high-end technologies like genome-editing are provided. Simplified Illustrations are provided in every chapter to explain different biotechnological approaches and strategies. The book will help to better explore the biotechnological advances in development of disease resistant crop varieties.

This edited volume presents recent advancements in genetic transformation and genome editing, offering a comprehensive understanding of their applications for creating more sustainable crops. These innovations are revolutionizing crop development, enhancing yields, and mitigating environmental challenges.The demand for sustainable crop production, driven by a growing global population and mounting environmental challenges, has never been more pressing. Genetic transformation and genome editing techniques offer precise and targeted ways to enhance crop traits, increase yields, and reduce the need for chemical inputs. The book traces the evolution of these technologies, from the early days of genetic modification to the current era of CRISPR-based genome editing. It covers cutting-edge technologies, from CRISPR-Cas9 to advanced gene editing techniques, while discussing the current scenario and future prospects of GM crops developed either by transgenic or genome editing approaches. The book explores the ethical and regulatory aspects surrounding genetic transformation, providing a complete perspective on this evolving domain.It is an essential read for researchers, students, and professionals in the fields of agriculture, plant sciences, biotechnology, agronomy, as well as policymakers.

This book emphasizes on cutting-edge next-generation smart plant breeding approaches for maximizing the use of genomic resources generated by high-throughput genomics in the post-genomic era. Through this book the readers would learn about the recent development in the genomic approaches such as genotype by sequencing (GBS) for genomic analysis (SNPs, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism), whole-genome re-sequencing (WGRS) and RNAseq for transcriptomic analysis (DEGs, Differentially Expressed Genes). To maximize the genetic gains in the cereal/food crops, the book covers topics on transgenic breeding, genome editing, high-throughput phenotyping, reliable/precision phenotyping and genomic information-based analysis. In the era of climate change and the ever-increasing population, food security and nutritional security are the primary concern of plant breeders, growers, and policymakers to address the UN's sustainable development goals. Chapters of this book cohere around these goals and covers techniques such as (QTL mapping, association studies, candidate gene identification), omics, RNAi [through micro RNA (miRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA) and artificial micro RNA (amiRNA)]. It also covers other genomic techniques like antisense technology, genome editing (CRISPR/cas9, base editing) and epigenomics that assist the crop improvement programmes to fulfil the UNs sustainable development goals. It explores the influence of rapidly available sequencing data assisting in the next generation breeding programmes. This volume is a productive resource for the students, researchers, scientists, teachers, public and private sector stakeholders involved in the genetic enhancement of cereal crops.

With over 820 million people facing hunger in today's world, the need of the hour is the design of plant varieties with high yield, improved traits, and resistance properties in order to mitigate the detrimental impacts of biotic and abiotic stress conditions on food crops. This volume highlights the use of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated nuclease proteins as a solution for sustainable agriculture. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing (GE) provides a robust, simple, precise, efficient, economical, and revolutionary toolbox that leads to improved plant traits with enhanced yield, quality, and resistance against various stresses, including climate-related stress, insect pests and diseases, pollution-related stresses, etc. Key features of the book: Explains the differences between conventional breeding, genetically modified crops, and genome editing approaches using CRISPR/Cas Introduces the tools of genome editing, such as ZFNS (zinc finger nucleases), mega nucleases, and TLENS (transcription activator-like effector nucleases) Covers the history, origin, discovery, structure, and classification of CRISPR/Cas Examines the databases and computational approaches of CRISPR/Cas Highlights genome editing of important crop plants with CRISPR/Cas systems, including wheat, maize. tomato, Brassica crops, rice, fruits Explores potential applications of CRISPR/Cas systems for climate smart crops

Maintaining and benefitting from plant genetic diversity are key challenges facing agriculture. Challenges include a narrowing genetic base for many key crops, the loss of landraces and wild varieties with agricultural intensification and urbanisation, and the need to develop the role of existing gene banks from repository of genetic diversity to enablers of the flow of germplasm and genetic information for breeding more robust varieties. Plant genetic resources: A review of current research and future needs surveys the wealth of research addressing these challenges and the opportunity for a more integrated, global approach to protecting and leveraging plant genetic diversity for a more sustainable agriculture. The book assesses ways of valuing and monitoring plant genetic diversity and discusses advances in in-situ and ex-situ strategies for conserving plant genetic diversity. The book concludes by reviewing ways of enhancing the use of plant genetic diversity, including participatory plant breeding programmes and more effective seed systems. With its eminent editor and range of international expertise, Plant genetic resources: A review of current research and future needs will be a standard reference for university and other researchers studying crop genetic resources and breeding, staff managing genebanks and germplasm collections, government and other agencies regulating the collection, storage and exchange of germplasm, as well as companies involved in crop breeding.

This book celebrates the dawn of the rye genomics era with concise, comprehensive, and accessible reviews on the current state of rye genomic research, written by experts in the field for students, researchers and growers. To most, rye is the key ingredient in a flavoursome bread or their favourite American whisky. To a farmer, rye is the remarkable grain that tolerates the harshest winters and the most unforgiving soils, befitting its legacy as the life-giving seed that fed the ancient civilisations of northern Eurasia. Since the mid-1900s, scientists have employed genetic approaches to better understand and utilize rye, but only since the technological advances of the mid-2010s has the possibility of addressing questions using rye genome assemblies become a reality. Alongside the secret of its unique survival abilities, rye genomics has accelerated research on a host of intriguing topics such as the complex history of rye's domestication by humans, the natureof genes that switch fertility on and off, the function and origin of accessory chromosomes, and the evolution of selfish DNA.

This book offers a comprehensive and state-of-the-art source reference for understanding the functions and mechanisms responsible for yield and quality determination under a range of conditions. By uncovering relationships and challenges of successful and scalable crop management and breeding, this volume addresses the challenges of environmentally sound production of bulk and quality food, fodder, fiber, and energy which are of ongoing international concern. Contemporary agriculture and crop management confronts the challenge of increasing demand in terms of quantitative and qualitative production targets. These targets have to be achieved against a background of climate change, including soil and water scarcity and higher temperatures, and the environmental and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. This book views crop production as an active source of methods, theories, ideas, and tools for application in genetic improvement and agronomy.

This book examines the development of innovative modern methodologies towards augmenting conventional plant breeding, in individual crops, for the production of new crop varieties under the increasingly limiting environmental and cultivation factors to achieve sustainable agricultural production, enhanced food security, in addition to providing raw materials for innovative industrial products and pharmaceuticals. This Volume 5, subtitled Cereals, focuses on advances in breeding strategies using both traditional and modern approaches for the improvement of individual crops. It addresses important staple food crops including barley, fonio, finger millet, foxtail millet, pearl millet, proso millet, quinoa, rice, rye, tef, triticale and spelt wheat. The volume is contributed by 53 internationally reputable scientists from 14 countries. Each chapter comprehensively reviews the modern literature on the subject and reflects the authors own experience.

The world population is estimated to reach to more than 10 billion by the year 2050. These projections pose a challenging situation for the agricultural scientists to increase crops productivity to meet the growing food demands. The unavailability and/or inaccessibility to appropriate gene pools with desired traits required to carry out genetic improvement of various crop species make this task formidable for the plant breeders. Incidentally, most of the desired genes reside in the wild genetic relatives of the crop species. Therefore, exploration and characterization of wild genetic resources of important crop species is vital for the efficient utilization of these gene pools for sustainable genetic improvements to assure food security. Further, understanding the myriad complexities of genic and genomic interactions among species, more particularly of wild relatives of crop species and/or phylogenetically distant germplasm, can provide the necessary inputs to increase the effectiveness of genetic improvement through traditional and/or genetic engineering methods. This book provides comprehensive and latest insights on the evolutionary genesis of diversity, access and its utilization in the evolution of various crop species. A comprehensive account of various crops, origin, exploitation of the primary, secondary and tertiary gene pools through breeding, biosystematical, cytogenetical and molecular phylogenetical relationships, and genetic enhancement through biotechnological interventions among others have been provided as the necessary underpinnings to consolidate information on the effective and sustainable utilization of the related genetic resources. The book stresses upon the importance of wild germplasm exploration, characterization and exploitation in the assimilation of important crop species. The book is especially intended for students and scientists working on the genetic improvement of crop species. Plant Breeders, Geneticists, Taxonomists, Molecular Biologists and Plant Biotechnologists working on crop species are going to find this book very useful.

This volume offers a much-needed compilation of essential reviews on diverse aspects of plant biology, written by eminent botanists. These reviews effectively cover a wide range of aspects of plant biology that have contemporary relevance. At the same time they integrate classical morphology with molecular biology, physiology with pattern formation, growth with genomics, development with morphogenesis, and classical crop-improvement techniques with modern breeding methodologies. Classical botany has been transformed into cutting-edge plant biology, thus providing the theoretical basis for plant biotechnology.It goes without saying that biotechnology has emerged as a powerful discipline of Biology in the last three decades. Biotechnological tools, techniques and information, used in combination with appropriate planning and execution, have already contributed significantly to economic growth and development. It is estimated that in the next decade or two, products and processes made possible by biotechnology will account for over 60% of worldwide commerce and output. There is, therefore, a need to arrive at a general understanding and common approach to issues related to the nature, possession, conservation and use of biodiversity, as it provides the raw material for biotechnology. More than 90% of the total requirements for the biotechnology industry are contributed by plants and microbes, in terms of goods and services. There are however substantial plant and microbial resources that are waiting for biotechnological exploitation in the near future through effective bioprospection. In order to exploit plants and microbes for their useful products and processes, we need to first understand their basic structure, organization, growth and development, cellular process and overall biology. We also need to identify and develop strategies to improve the productivity of plants.In view of the above, in this two-volume book on plant biology and biotechnology, the first volume is devoted to various aspects of plant biology and crop improvement. It includes 33 chapters contributed by 50 researchers, each of which is an expert in his/her own field of research. The book begins with an introductory chapter that gives a lucid account on the past, present and future of plant biology, thereby providing a perfect historical foundation for the chapters that follow. Four chapters are devoted to details on the structural and developmental aspects of the structures of plants and their principal organs. These chapters provide the molecular biological basis for the regulation of morphogenesis of the form of plants and their organs, involving control at the cellular and tissue levels. Details on biodiversity, the basic raw material for biotechnology, are discussed in a separate chapter, in which emphasis is placed on the genetic, species and ecosystem diversities and their conservation.Since fungi and other microbes form an important component ofthe overall biodiversity, special attention is paid to the treatment of fungi and other microbes in this volume. Four chapters respectively deal with an overview of fungi, arbuscularmycorrhizae and their relation to the sustenance of plant wealth, diversity and practical applications of mushrooms, and lichens (associated with a photobiont). Microbial endosymbionts associated with plants and phosphate solubilizing microbes in the rhizosphere of plants are exhaustively treated in two separate chapters. The reproductive strategies of bryophytes and an overview on Cycads form the subject matter of another two chapters, thus fulfilling the need to deal with the non-flowering Embryophyte group of plants.Angiosperms, the most important group of plants from a biotechnological perspective, are examined exhaustively in this volume. The chapters on angiosperms provide an overview and cover the genetic basis of flowers development, pre-and post-fertilization reproductive growth and developme

This book represents a pioneer initiative to describe the new technologies available for next-generation phenotyping and applied to plant breeding. Over the last several years plant breeding has experienced a true revolution. Phenomics, i.e., high-throughput phenotyping using automation, robotics and remote data collection, is changing the way cultivars are developed. Written in an easy to understand style, this book offers an indispensable reference work for all students, instructors and scientists who are interested in the latest innovative technologies applied to plant breeding.

Climate change is expected to have a drastic impact on agronomic conditions including temperature, precipitation, soil nutrients, and the incidence of disease pests, to name a few. To face this looming threat, significant progress in developing new breeding strategies has been made over the last few decades. The first volume of Genomics and Breeding for Climate-Resilient Crops presents the basic concepts and strategies for developing climate-resilient crop varieties. Topics covered include: conservation, evaluation and utilization of biodiversity; identification of traits, genes and crops of the future; genomic and molecular tools; genetic engineering; participatory and evolutionary breeding; bioinformatics tools to support breeding; funding and networking support; and intellectual property, regulatory issues, social and political dimensions.​

“Diagnostics in Plant Breeding” is systematically organizing cutting-edge research reviews on the development and application of molecular tools for the prediction of plant performance. Given its significance for mankind and the available research resources, medical sciences are leading the area of molecular diagnostics, where DNA-based risk assessments for various diseases and biomarkers to determine their onset become increasingly available. So far, most research in plant genomics has been directed towards understanding the molecular basis of biological processes or phenotypic traits. From a plant breeding perspective, however, the main interest is in predicting optimal genotypes based on molecular information for more time- and cost-efficient breeding schemes. It is anticipated that progress in plant genomics and in particular sequence technology made recently will shift the focus from “explanatory” to “predictive” in crop science. This book assembles chapters on all areas relevant to development and application of predictive molecular tools in plant breeding by leading authorties in the respective areas.