D.S. Brar – författare

The basic purpose of this book is to describe the relative value of each method of improving various agricultural crops by using parasexual techniques. While no book can be a complete source of all the information on a subject, a range of topics were selected to highlight the recent developments in mutagenesis (conventional approach and molecular biology) and in vitro induced variation in plant breeding. We have deliberately kept short the title of this book, simply emphasizing somaclonal variation and induced mutation. This book is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains 13 chapters mainly on somaclonal variation (SCV), covering SCV in crop improvement, SCV in ornamentals, cereals and forage grasses, banana, and forest trees, cytogenetic basis of SCV, in vitro selection, gametoclonal variation, protoclonal variation, and solanaceous medicinal plants. Section 2 deals with induced mutation, and is covered in 10 chapters mainly on mutagenesis in sugarcane, fruit trees, apomixsis, ornamental plants, disease resistance, cereals and legumes, and vegetatively propagated plants.

Most of the plant breeding programs aim to increase yield, disease and insect resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and to improve quality characteristics. The value of new plant breeding products and varieties in increasing food production has been demonstrated time and again. To meet growing need of ever increasing human population, we need to enhance food production for sustaining food supply. Furthermore, several biotic and abiotic stresses continue to threaten crop product- ity. Moreover with urbanization, land for cultivation is shrinking and several en- ronment concerns involving excessive use of fertilizers and agro-chemicals, soil and water pollution including water scarcity are key issues in increasing crop p- ductivity and food sustainability. Plant breeders therefore, has the major challenge how to increase crop productivity with limited land, limited water, limited che- cals and limited labour particularly in the context of global climate changes. In the genomics era, advances in molecular biology have opened new opportunities to accelerate plant breeding processes and in overcoming some of the above c- straints limiting crop productivity. Molecular markers have become important tools in the hands of plant breeders in marker assisted breeding and for enhancing the selection efficiency for various agronomic traits in precision ‘plant’ breeding.

The basic purpose of this book is to describe the relative value of each method of improving various agricultural crops by using parasexual techniques. While no book can be a complete source of all the information on a subject, a range of topics were selected to highlight the recent developments in mutagenesis (conventional approach and molecular biology) and in vitro induced variation in plant breeding. We have deliberately kept short the title of this book, simply emphasizing somaclonal variation and induced mutation. This book is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains 13 chapters mainly on somaclonal variation (SCV), covering SCV in crop improvement, SCV in ornamentals, cereals and forage grasses, banana, and forest trees, cytogenetic basis of SCV, in vitro selection, gametoclonal variation, protoclonal variation, and solanaceous medicinal plants. Section 2 deals with induced mutation, and is covered in 10 chapters mainly on mutagenesis in sugarcane, fruit trees, apomixsis, ornamental plants, disease resistance, cereals and legumes, and vegetatively propagated plants.Section 3 describes the molecular aspects of mutagenesis and somaclonal variation, insertional mutagenesis (T-DNA mutagenesis, transposons), and molecular methods for identifying somaclonal variation, RAPD markers in banana somaclones, and transgene expression.