Orchids are fascinating, with attractive flowers that sell in the markets and an increasing demand around the world. Additionally, some orchids are edible or scented and have long been used in preparations of traditional medicine. This book presents recent advances in orchid biochemistry, including original research articles and reviews. It provides in-depth insights into the biology of flower pigments, floral scent formation, bioactive compounds, pollination, and plant–microbial interaction as well as the biotechnology of protocorm-like bodies in orchids. It reveals the secret of orchid biology using molecular tools, advanced biotechnology, multi-omics, and high-throughput technologies and offers a critical reference for the readers. This book explores the knowledge about species evolution using comparative transcriptomics, flower spot patterning, involving the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways, the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis, which contributes to leaf color formation, gene regulation in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds, the mechanism of pollination, involving the biosynthesis of semiochemicals, gene expression patterns of volatile organic compounds, the symbiotic relationship between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi, techniques using induction, proliferation, and regeneration of protocorm-like bodies, and so on. In this book, important or model orchid species were studied, including Anoectochilus roxburghii, Bletilla striata, Cymbidium sinense, Dendrobium officinale, Ophrys insectifera, Phalaenopsis ‘Panda’, Pleione limprichtii.

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This book on “Orchid Biology: Recent Trends & Challenges” reviews the latest strategies for the preservation and conservation of orchid diversity and orchid germplasm. It is an outcome of the Proceedings of the International Symposium on “Biodiversity of Medicinal Plants & Orchids: Emerging Trends and Challenges” held on 9-11 February 2018 at Acharya Nagarjuna University, India. In addition, eminent orchid experts from around the globe were invited to contribute to this book. All chapters were peer-reviewed by international experts. The Orchidaceae are one of the largest families of flowering plants, comprising over 700 genera and 22,500 species and contributing roughly 40 percent of monocotyledons. They also represent the second-largest flowering plant family in India, with 1,141 species in 166 genera, and contribute roughly 10% of Indian flora. Orchids comprise a unique group of plants and their flowers are among the most enchanting and exquisite creations of nature. Phylogenetically and taxonomically, the Orchidaceae are considered to be a highly evolved family among angiosperms. They show incredible diversity in terms of the shape, size and colour of their flowers, and are of great commercial importance in floriculture markets around the globe. Millions of cut flowers of Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Cattleya, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Vanda etc., besides potted orchid plants, are sold in Western Countries and thus, the orchid cut flower industry has now become a multimillion-dollar business in Europe, the USA and South East Asia. Besides their ornamental value, orchids hold tremendous pharmaceutical potential. Root tubers of Habenaria edgeworthii form an important component of the ‘Astavarga’ group of drugs in Ayurvedic medicine. It is an established fact that tubers of some terrestrial orchids have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, intestinal disorders, cough, cold and tuberculosis. Some orchids, particularly those belonging to the genera Aerides, Arachnis, Cattleya, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Renanthera, Vanda etc. have been extensively used to produce internationally acclaimed hybrids. Yet paradoxically, Indian orchids are victims of their own beauty and popularity. As a result, their natural populations have been declining rapidly because of unbridled commercial exploitation in India and abroad. In fact, some orchids are now at the verge of extinction, e.g. Renanthera imschootiana, Diplomeris hirsuta, Paphiopedilum fairrieanum, Cypripedium elegans, Taeniophylum andamanicum etc. Given the global importance of orchids in terms of securing human health and wealth, this comprehensive compilation, prepared by international experts, is highly topical. Its content is divided into five main sections: (I) Cryopreservation & Biotechnology, (II) Orchid Biodiversity & Conservation, (III) Anatomy & Physiology, (IV) Pollination Biology and (V) Orchid Chemicals & Bioactive Compounds. All contributions were written by eminent orchid experts/professors from around the world, making the book a valuable reference guide for all researchers, teachers, orchid enthusiasts, orchid growers and students of biotechnology, botany, pharmaceutical sciences and ethnomedicine. It will be equally valuable for readers from the horticultural industry, especially the orchid industry, agricultural scientists and policymakers.

A Personal Note I decided to initiate Orchid Biology: Reviews and Perspectives in about 1972 and (alone or with co-authors) started to write some of the chapters and the appendix for the volume in 1974 during a visit to the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Indonesia. Professor H. C. D. de Wit of Holland was also in Bogor at that time and when we discovered a joint interest in Rumphius he agreed to write a chapter about him. I visited Bangkok on my way home from Bogor and while there spent time with Professor Thavorn Vajrabhaya. He readily agreed to write a chapter. The rest of the chapters were solicited by mail and I had the complete manuscript on my desk in 1975. With that in hand I started to look for a publisher. Most of the publishers I contacted were not interested. Fortunately Mr James Twiggs, at that time editor of Cornell University Press, grew orchids and liked the idea. He decided to publish Orchid Biology: Reviews and Per spectives, and volume I saw the light of day in 1977. I did not know if there would be a volume II but collected manuscripts for it anyway. Fortunately volume I did well enough to justify a second book, and the series was born. It is still alive at present - 20 years, seven volumes and three publishers later. I was in the first third of my career when volume I was published.

Examines the biology, history, evolution and commercial uses of orchids. All aspects of the orchid are explored including how they are classified and named; the cytology, physiology, phytochemistry and morphology of orchids; their anatomy, mycorrhiza, pollination, embryology, reproduction, heredity and breeding and ecological characteristics. Numerous illustrations throughout aid in comprehension.

This greatly expanded and updated edition of a classic reference work comprises two volumes offering a compendium of methods for multiplying orchids through micropropagation. A detailed collection of procedures and methods for multiplying orchids, including organ, tissue, and cell culture techniques in vitro Presents classic techniques that have been in the forefront of orchid propagation since they were first developed in 1949 Detailed procedures are appended with tables and complete recipes for a large number of culture media Includes many illustrations, chemical formulas, historical vignettes, and seldom seen illustrations of people, orchids, apparatus and tools “... an excellent resource like its predecessor, ...both informative and captivating, and served as a reminder of why we go to such extremes in our quest to propagate these plants.” American Orchid Society, 2009 “...in the sense of its universal value and importance, this Second Edition will undoubtedly be considered a classic, if only because it will serve as a sole and invaluable resource on the subject.” Plant Science Bulletin, 2009

Over the past ten years, the orchid industry has been growing at a steady pace in South-East Asia and East Asia. In some Asian countries, orchids have become an essential export item. To maintain this progress, there is an urgent need for a book that will help the region's orchid growers in improving their cultivation and management skills, and guide new students in understanding orchid physiology. This book provides a comprehensive description of tropical orchid physiology relevant to commercial growers, research workers and graduate students. An integrated and unifying theme of tropical orchid physiology, with a clearly written factual text as well as illustrations, is presented over nine chapters. Each chapter is designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on a particular aspect of orchid physiology. This book complements the existing scientific literature available for improving orchid cultivation and setting a new research agenda, especially in the tropics.