Plant Biotechnology and Agriculture

As the oldest and largest human intervention in nature, the science of agriculture is one of the most intensely studied practices. From manipulation of plant gene structure to the use of plants for bioenergy, biotechnology interventions in plant and agricultural science have been rapidly developing over the past ten years with immense forward leaps on an annual basis.

This book begins by laying the foundations for plant biotechnology by outlining the biological aspects including gene structure and expression, and the basic procedures in plant biotechnology of genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. It then focuses on a discussion of the impacts of biotechnology on plant breeding technologies and germplasm sustainability. The role of biotechnology in the improvement of agricultural traits, production of industrial products and pharmaceuticals as well as biomaterials and biomass provide a historical perspective and a look to the future. Sections addressing intellectual property rights and sociological and food safety issues round out the holistic discussion of this important topic.

• Includes specific emphasis on the inter-relationships between basic plant biotechnologies and applied agricultural applications, and the way they contribute to each other

• Provides an updated review of the major plant biotechnology procedures and techniques, their impact on novel agricultural development and crop plant improvement

• Takes a broad view of the topic with discussions of practices in many countries

researchers in genetics, biology, biotechnology and plant science; agricultural engineers, environmental biologists, environmental engineers, food scientists, and environmental microbiologists; graduate and post-doctoral students in these areas of science

Preface

1. Introduction: The scope of plant biotechnology and its impact on agriculture 
2. Introduction to basic procedures in plant biotechnology

2.1 Gene structure and isolation

2.2 Control of gene expression and silencing

2.3 Protein targeting and expression

2.4 Plant genomics and transcriptomics

2.5 Plant proteomics

2.6 Plant metabolomics

2.7 Other omics

2.8 Genome sequencing, models for developing synteny maps

2.9 Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation

2.10 Other technologies of plant transformation

2.11 Plant tissue culture

3. Breeding biotechnologies

3.1 Somatic (asexual) genetics procedures (haploids, protoplasts, cell selection)

3.2 Marker-assisted selection

3.3 Genetic engineering/transformation

4. Plant germplasm

4.1 Micropropagation

4.2 Generation of pathogen-free plants

4.3 Germplasm storage and preservation

4.4 Forward and reverse genetic approaches, including advances in identifying and exploiting natural variation

5. Controlling plant response to the environment: Abiotic stress

5.1 Drought and salinity, ion homeostasis and water use

5.2 Extreme temperatures, chilling and freezing, and high temperature stress

5.3 Pollutants, heavy metal toxicity, phytoremediation

6. Controlling plant response to the environment: Biotic stress

6.1 Fungal and microbial disease

6.2 Viral disease

6.3 Insects

6.4 Nematodes and others

6.5 Weeds

7. Biotechnological improvement of yield and quality traits

7.1 Shoot development, growth and architecture

7.2 Root architecture and its growth control

7.3 Flower development and control of flowering

7.4 Fruit development and ripening

7.5 Post harvest and storage of crop products (fruits, flowers, tubers, bulbs and leaves)

7.6 Seed germination and quality traits

7.7 Male-sterility and hybrid seed production

7.8 Regulation of apomixis

7.9 Modifying nutritional value of plants (primary metabolites, minerals, vitamins etc)

7.10 Modifying secondary metabolites for quality traits (volatiles, scent and aroma compounds)

8. Plants as factories for industrial products, pharmaceuticals and biomaterials

8.1 Vaccines and antibodies

8.2 Pharmaceutical proteins

8.3 Industrial enzymes

8.4 Natural products and metabolites

8.4 Novel plant-produced biomaterials (collagen etc.)

8.5 Bioplastics

9. Plants and crop residues for bioenergy

9.1 Bioenergy from current crop plants

9.2 Bioenergy from novel plant sources

9.3 Utilization of agricultural residues

10. Commercial, legal and public aspects

10.1 Economic considerations and commercialization of transgenic/biotechnological-improved plants

10.2 Regulation, intellectual property rights and licensing of biotechnological-improved plants

10.3 Ethical aspects and public acceptance

11. Prospects, limitations and sociological considerations of agricultural plant biotechnologies

11.1 What can plant biotechnology practically deliver and what it can not?

11.2 Prospects for increased food production and poverty alleviation

11.3 Crop biotechnology in developing countries: the needs, technology transfer and adoption

12. Concluding remarks

Appendices

Index