S.C. Minocha - Böcker

This overview of various aspects of plant molecular biology that are relevant to the improvement of woody plants, is divided into two volumes. In Volume 1, background information on genetic engineering and molecular marker techniques is emphasized, whereas Volume 2 contains specific examples of species in which sufficient progress has been made. The first few chapters in Section 1 of Volume 1 focus on the current status of transgenic expression in plants and molecular aspects of development in woody plants, while the latter half of this section includes chapters on molecular biology of cell wall biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism. Section 2 of Volume 1 covers tissue culture of woody plants and its relevance to molecular biology research, and the role of molecular markers in evolution, genome mapping, and aiding in breeding programmes for the selection of desired genotypes. Volume 2 covers general aspects of the technology of gene transfer in woody plants and several examples of the applications of the techniques of molecular biology to woody species.

Covering various aspects of plant molecular biology that are relevant to the improvement of woody plants, this book divided into two volumes. In Volume 1, background information on genetic engineering and molecular marker techniques is emphasized, whereas Volume 2 contains specific examples of species in which sufficient progress has been made to date. It covers general aspects of the technology of gene transfer in woody plants and several examples of the current status of the applications of the techniques of molecular biology to woody species.

Woody plants constitute an artificial and heterogeneous group of plants that share some common phenotypic characteristics but otherwise have no strong evolutionary relationships, nor do they share a common habitat. They are a primary source of fiber and timber, and also include many edible fruit species. Their unique phenotypic behavior includes a perennial habit associated with extensive secondary growth. Additional characteristics of woody plants include: developmental juvenility and maturity with respect to growth habit, flowering time, and morphogenetic response in tissue cultures; environmental control of bud dormancy and flowering cycles; variable tolerance to abiotic stresses, wounding and pathogens; and long distance transport of water and nutrients. Woody plants, particularly tree species, have been the focus of numerous physiological studies to understand their specialized functions, however, only recently have they become the target of molecular studies. Recent advances in our understanding of signal transduction pathways for environmental responses in herbaceous plants, including the identification and cloning of genes for proteins involved in signal transduction, should provide useful leads to undertake parallel studies with woody plants. Molecular mapping techniques, coupled with the availability of cloned genes from herbaceous plants, should provide shortcuts to cloning relevant genes from woody plants. The unique phenotypes of these plants can then be targeted for improvement through genetic engineering. In this book we present a broad coverage of various aspects of plant molecular biology that are relevant to the improvement of woody plant.