Plant Chromosome Engineering

This two-volume work surveys the entire range of general aspects of chromosome research on plants. This first volume is divided into two sections. Section A consists of 11 chapters covering the entire range of general aspects of chromosome research in plants (including a chapter on genetic engineering in crop improvement). Section B is devoted to cytogenetics of cereals and millets (wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats, maize, rice, pearl millet, and minor millets). More than one chapter is devoted to the same crop to give a detailed treatment of chromosome research (including molecular biology) in these crops. The second volume deals with cytogenetics of plant materials including legumes, vegetable and oil crops, sugar crops, forage crops, fibre crops, medicinal crops and ornamentals. This work will be useful both as a reference work and a teaching aid to satisfy a wide range of workers. Every chapter has been written by an expert who has been involved in chromosome research on a particular plant material for many years.

With an increasing human population and a decreasing amount of arable land, creative improvements in agriculture will be a necessity in the coming decades to maintain or improve the standard of living. In Plant Chromosome Engineering: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers present techniques for the modification of crops and other plant species in order to achieve the goal of developing the much needed novel approaches to the production of food, feed, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals. This volume examines vital topics such as transformation procedures, chromosome painting, production of engineered minichromosomes, gene targeting and mutagenesis, site specific integration, gene silencing, protein expression, chromosome sorting and analysis, protocols for generating chromosomal rearrangements, enhancer trapping, and means of studying chromosomes in vivo. As a part of the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series, the methodological chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and professional tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Plant Chromosome Engineering: Methods and Protocols highlights the spectrum of tools currently available for modifying plant genomes and chromosomes and provides the foundation for crucial future developments.

Medicinal Plants, Volume 6 of the Genetic Resources, Chromosome Engineering, and Crop Improvement series summarizes landmark research and describes medicinal plants as nature's pharmacy. HighlightsExamines the use of molecular technology for maintaining authenticity and quality of plant-based productsDetails reports on individual medicinal plants i

The ability to exploit the potential of wild relatives carrying beneficial traits is a major goal in breeding programs. However, it relies on the possibility of the chromosomes from the crop and wild species in interspecific crosses to recognize, associate, and undergo crossover formation during meiosis, the cellular process responsible for producing gametes with half the genetic content of their parent cells. Unfortunately, in most cases, a barrier exists preventing successful hybridization between the wild and crop chromosomes. Understanding the mechanisms controlling chromosome associations during meiosis are of great interest in plant breeding and will allow chromosome manipulation to introduce genetic variability from related species into a crop. In addition to interspecific hybrids, other materials, such as natural and synthetic polyploids and introgression lines derived from allopolyploids, among others, are powerful tools in the framework of plant breeding. For example, an extra pair of alien chromosomes in the full genome complement of a crop species has been frequently used as a first step to access genetic variation from the secondary gene pool in breeding programs. In addition, such introgression lines are also pivotal in the study of interspecific genetic interactions, in the chromosomal location of genetic markers, and in the study of chromosome structure and behavior in somatic and meiotic cells. Contained in this Special Issue are accounts of original research, including new tools to identify chromosome introgressions and the development and characterization of introgression lines and interspecific hybrids carrying desirable agronomic traits for plant breeding purposes. Also included are reviews about the chromosome engineering of tropical cash crops and the effect of chromosome structure on chromosome associations and recombination during meiosis to allow chromosome manipulation in the framework of plant breeding.

The past two decades have brought with them remarkable progress in plant chromosomal research. The chromosome structure has been clarified in great detail, enabling identification of gene sequences at the microscopic level, which has aided the analysis of biodiversity. Knowledge of chromosome structure has played a crucial role in the improvement of crop species and has far-reaching implications. The manipulation and engineering of chromosomes involves a panoply of novel methods, combining conventional and modern techniques of biotechnology. A working knowledge of such techniques is essential for today's students and researchers, and the plant system, because of totipotency, requires special treatment. This treatise covers all the latest methods involved in the study of evolution, biodiversity, chromosome manipulation and engineering.

This two-volume work surveys the entire range of general aspects of chromosome research in plants. The first volume covers cytogenetics of cereals and millets with more than one chapter being devoted to the same crop to give a detailed treatment to an up-to-date status of chromosome research. This second volume deals with cytogenetics of plant materials including legumes, vegetable and oil crops, sugar crops, forage crops: fibre crops, medicinal crops and ornamentals. The book will be useful both as a reference work and a teaching aid to satisfy a wide range of workers. Every chapter has been written by an expert who has been involved in chromosome research on a particular plant material for many years so that the treatment is authoritative and up-to-date in most cases.

Earlier books on the handling of plant chromosomes have not included many of the innovations in cytological techniques for many important crops that have become available in recent years, including information on associating genes with chromosomes. The aim of this book is to compile all the plant cytogenetic techniques, previously published in earlier books, into a laboratory manual. The first part of the book describes standard cytological techniques that are routinely used by students. The second part covers methods used for specific crops for which common cytological methods do not work satisfactorily. The third part discusses cytogenetic techniques (cytology and genetics) for physically locating genes on specific chromosomes. This novel book will be highly useful to students, teachers, and researchers as it is a convenient and comprehensive reference for all plant cytogenetic techniques and protocols.