Plant Breeding and Biotechnology

Denis J. Murphy is Professor of Biotechnology at the University of Glamorgan, UK. His career in plant biotechnology research spans three decades, including ten years on the management team of the John Innes Centre, arguably Europe's premier research centre in plant science. He is currently highly involved with the ongoing debate on genetically modified food and crops, both locally and internationally, providing expertise and advice to numerous organisations and government agencies, as well as engaging with the general public and the media.

'… a thought provoking read, but provides a lot of background for funders and politicians, and it is to be hoped will be read by those in positions of influence.' Journal of Genetical Research

• Preface; Using this book; Nomenclature and terminology; Abbreviations and glossary; Introduction; Part I. The Science of Plant Breeding: 1. Origins of plant breeding; 2. Creating new genetic variation; 3. Modern high-tech breeding; Part II. The Societal Context of Plant Breeding: 4. Rise of the public sector: the US pioneers; 5. The public sector in the UK; 6. Breeding goes global: the Green Revolution and beyond; Part III. Turmoil and Transition: The legacy of the 1980s: 7. Resurgence of the private sector; 8. Emergence of a new crop improvement paradigm; 9. Decline of the public sector; 10. Reaping the consequences; Part IV. The Agbiotech Paradigm: 11. Agbiotech: genes and dreams; 12. The future of transgenic crops I. Improving the technology; 13. The future of transgenic crops II. Improving the products; Part V. Increasing Global Crop Production: The New Challenges: 14. Feeding the world - fallacies and realities; 15. The roles of management, subsidies, and breeding in crop improvement; Part VI. Plant Breeding in the Twenty-First Century: 16. The future of international plant breeding; 17. Rebalancing our approach to crop improvement; 18. Where do we go from here?; 19. Conclusions and recommendations.