The genesis of the volume, Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Markers, has been the occasion of the retirement of Professor Sant Saran Bhojwani from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. For Professor Bhojwani, retirement only means relinquishing the chair as being a researcher and a teacher which has always been a way of life to him. Professor Bhojwani has been an ardent practitioner of modern plant biology and areas like Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Breeding have been close to his heart. The book contains original as well as review articles contributed by his admirers and associates who are experts in their area of research. While planning this contributory book our endeavour has been to incorporate articles that cover the entire gamut of Plant Biotechnology, and also applications of Molecular Markers. Besides articles on in vitro fertilization and micropropagation, there are articles on forest tree improvement through genetic engineering. Considering the importance of conservation of our precious natural wealth, one article deals with cryopreservation of plant material. Chapter on molecular marker considers DNA indexing as markers of clonal fidelity of in vitro regenerated plants and prevention against bio-piracy. A couple of write-ups also cover stage-specific gene markers, DNA polymorphism and genetic engineering, including raising of stress tolerant plants to sustain productivity and help in reclamation of degraded land.

Plant cell cultures are used extensively in studies of secondary metabolism, for the biosynthesis of pharmaceuticals, flavors, essences, and pigments. This book highlights recent developments in the in vitro growth of cultured plant cells and in the production of valuable secondary metabolites. Plant Cell Culture Secondary Metabolism details research on many exciting areas including:

A number of interdisciplinary fields related to Plant Cell Biotechnology are discussed. The two main directions are: Plant cell culture in agricultural applications for the improvement of crops and industrial applications in the production of secondary metabolites. A number of areas such as physiological and biochemical aspects of autotrophic cells, gene characterization in higher plants, transformation of plant cells, genetic stability in plant cell cultures, somatic hybridization and somatic embryogenesis are treated. Recent knowledge on somaclonal and gametoclonal variation as well as on the obtainment of protoplasts and their use for the isolation and culture of heterocaryons as tools for plant breeding are considered. Furthermore, the knowledge on biomass production in fermentor conditions and the role of immobilization for increased production and scale-up of plant cells are discussed.

Hairy roots are plant roots that have been genetically transformed and can be cultured on a large scale. They can replace the whole plant in many research projects, and offer a range of technical advantages over plant cell cultures. Hairy roots are now used in studies of plant secondary metabolism and its genetic manipulation, as hosts for the production of foreign proteins, for plant propagation in agriculture, in environmental research, and for the development of new engineering technology for large-scale production of plant chemicals. Hairy root culture is an interdisciplinary science, with important and expansive applications. This volume is the first to be dedicated solely to the many facets of hairy root culture. The number of papers dedicated to hairy roots is rising exponentially, and with the increasing amount of research already underway this forms a timely publication. It is written and edited by acknowledged experts in the areas of hairy root culture and product synthesis, plant propagation, bio-processing and environmental aspects of hairyroots.

This work deals with basic plant physiology and cytology, and addresses the practical exploitation of plants, both as crops and as sources of useful compounds produced as secondary metabolites. Covers problems of commercial exploitation, socio-legal aspects of genetic engineering of crop plants, and of the difficulties of marketing natural compunds produced by cells under artificial conditions.

Designed primarily as a text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, the book discusses the theoretical aspects and modern applications of plant cell, tissue and organ culture. Written with the aim of providing up-to-date information on the subject, and focused on the concept of commercialization of plant cell culture, the contents have been presented with clarity. The book not only discusses the theoretical aspects of plant tissue culture but also emphasizes the art of its practice. It also provides a systematic explanation of asepsis and methods of sterilization, plant tissue culture techniques, culture of reproductive structures, plant tissue culture in germplasm conservation, its applications in the industry and plant pathology and operation and management of greenhouse hardening unit. In addition, it discusses in vitro propagation of plants (micropropagation) with a series of case studies pertaining to tree species and horticultural crops. Besides students, the book will also prove to be useful for researchers, scholars and teachers.

Cell Culture and Somatic Cell Genetics of Plants, Volume 4: Cell Culture in Phytochemistry reviews phytochemistry by employing plant cell cultures. This book discusses the realization of industrial plant cell culture for the production of phytochemicals and molecular biological approach to understand the regulation of product synthesis. The topics covered include the accumulation of secondary metabolites, phenolic production in cultured tissues, and stability of clones and subclones. The somatic hybridization by protoplast fusion, various techniques for continuous culture of plant cells, and methodology of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are also deliberated. This volume provides intensive information on all aspects of plant cell and tissue culture and is recommended to both experienced researchers and to those newly entering the field.

This volume, contributed to by a group of 46 research scientists and engineers, focuses on the integration of two aspects of plant biotechnology - the basic plant science and applied bioprocess engineering. Included in this book are 17 chapters, each dealing with specific topics of current interest with three coherent themes of: plant gene expression, regulation and manipulation; plant cell physiology and metabolism and their regulation; and bioprocess engineering and bioreactor performance of plant cell cultures. All of these topics are integrated into a main theme of "enabling plant biotechnology" relevant to the production of secondary metabolites. This book will be of great value to all plant cell biologists and molecular geneticists, and all those interested in the integration of plant science and bioprocess engineering for development of enabling technology relevant to the production of plant secondary metabolites.

Food security and the medicinal needs of billions of people around the world are pressing global issues, and the biodiversity and sustainable utilization of plants is of great significance in this context. Further, ethnobotanical studies are vital in the discovery of new drugs from indigenous medicinal plants, and plants with industrially important metabolites need to be cultivated to meet the growing market demand. In addition, the production of plant metabolites under in vitro conditions also has tremendous possibilities. The totipotency of plant cells plays a valuable role in the sustainable utilization of plant resources through cell, tissue and organ culture. At the same time, production can be enhanced using productive cell lines, treatment with elicitors, changing nutritional parameters and metabolic engineering. This book provides state-of-the-art information on biodiversity, conservation, ethnobotany, various aspects of In vitro secondary metabolite production, bioprospecting from various plant groups and drug discovery. It also discusses methods of extracting and characterizing drug leads from plant sources.​