Brassica crop species and their allies (Raphanus, Sinapis, Eruca, etc.) are important sources of edible roots, stems, leaves, buds and inflorescences, as well as of edible or industrial oils, condiments and forage. Many well known names of plants or plant products, such as kale, cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohl-rabi, Chinese cabbage, turnip, rape, rutabaga, swede, colza or rapeseed, canola, mustard, rocket, etc. are directly associated to this botanical group.The scientific interest for this botanical group has run parallel to its economical importance, and research achievements in our days would have certainly appeared unimaginable only two decades ago. As the end of the millenium approaches, entirely new fields (transformation, somatic fusion, etc.) have been added to the classical ones. Thus, nobody can doubt the opportuneness of this book, which combines and presents both the basic and applied biological aspects of the Brassica species.

Recent advances in plant cell and molecular biology have opened new avenues for the improvement of crop plants in the genus "Brassica" - oilseeds and vegetables of worldwide economic importance. This volume reviews advances in various areas of "Brassica" biotechnology. It covers the use of rapid-cycle brassicas, tissue culture and gene transfer, molecular genetics, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and molecular farming. Contributors are world-leading international "Brassica" researchers. The volume is an invaluable reference for plant breeders, researchers and graduate students in the fields of plant biotechnology, agronomy, horticulture, genetics, and cell and molecular biology.

Considerable interest has developed in recent years in crucifers and particularly in their wild relatives, as they contain genetic material that may be utilized for further evolution of superior crop varieties through introgression and distant hybridization. Until now, there has been no single volume that focuses exclusively on the biology and bree

The family Brassicaceae constitutes one of the world’s most economically important plant groups. These plants are important sources of vegetable oil, vegetables, and condiments. Most of these crops belong to the genus Brassica, which includes common crops such as oilseeds (oilseed rape, mustard) and vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnip, Chinese cabbage, etc.). Brassica species play an essential role in horticulture and agriculture as well as contribute to the health of populations around the world. The current global climatic model predicts a significant decrease in growth, yield, and productivity of Brassica due to various biotic and abiotic stress factors. Thus, high-yielding, climate-resilient, and disease-resistant Brassica varieties are required to maintain as well as increase future agricultural production. The development of improved cultivars of these crops may become exhausted and improvement could become stagnant when plant breeding is merely based on a single breeding approach. Therefore, the goal of a breeding program should be to develop genetically superior Brassica cultivars suitable for a wide range of environments. This book examines the introgression of insect and disease resistance and other desirable traits into Brassica crops using inter-and/or intra-specific hybridization as well as biotechnological and molecular techniques, which could be useful for improving Brassica crops to ensure food security.

The Genetics and Genomics of the Brassicaceae provides a review of this important family (commonly termed the mustard family, or Cruciferae). The family contains several cultivated species, including radish, rocket, watercress, wasabi and horseradish, in addition to the vegetable and oil crops of the Brassica genus. There are numerous further species with great potential for exploitation in 21st century agriculture, particularly as sources of bioactive chemicals. These opportunities are reviewed, in the context of the Brassicaceae in agriculture. More detailed descriptions are provided of the genetics of the cultivated Brassica crops, including both the species producing most of the brassica vegetable crops (B. rapa and B. oleracea) and the principal species producing oilseed crops (B. napus and B. juncea). The Brassicaceae also include important “model” plant species. Most prominent is Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant species to have its genome sequenced. Natural genetic variation is reviewed for A. thaliana, as are the genetics of the closely related A. lyrata and of the genus Capsella. Self incompatibility is widespread in the Brassicaceae, and this subject is reviewed. Interest arising from both the commercial value of crop species of the Brassicaceae and the importance of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species, has led to the development of numerous resources to support research. These are reviewed, including germplasm and genomic library resources, and resources for reverse genetics, metabolomics, bioinformatics and transformation. Molecular studies of the genomes of species of the Brassicaceae revealed extensive genome duplication, indicative of multiple polyploidy events during evolution. In some species, such as Brassica napus, there is evidence of multiple rounds of polyploidy during its relatively recent evolution, thus the Brassicaceae represent an excellent model system for the study of the impacts of polyploidy and the subsequent process of diploidisation, whereby the genome stabilises. Sequence-level characterization of the genomes of Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa are presented, along with summaries of comparative studies conducted at both linkage map and sequence level, and analysis of the structural and functional evolution of resynthesised polyploids, along with a description of the phylogeny and karyotype evolution of the Brassicaceae. Finally, some perspectives of the editors are presented. These focus upon the Brassicaceae species as models for studying genome evolution following polyploidy, the impact of advances in genome sequencing technology, prospects for future transcriptome analysis and upcoming model systems.

The book describes the history of Brassica oilseed crops, introduces the Brassica genome, its evolution, diversity, classical genetic studies, and breeding. It also delves into molecular genetic linkage and physical maps, progress with genome sequencing initiatives, mutagenesis approaches for trait improvement, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinfo

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on elucidation and augmentation of the genome of Brassica juncea, one of the leading oilseed crops of the world, popularly called as brown mustard, Indian mustard, Chinese mustard, or Oriental mustard. It includes discussions on genepools; genetic diversity and its characterization; classical genetic and traditional breeding; basics and application of heteroploidy; techniques and applications of introgressive hybridization; in vitro culture for micro-propagation, somatic mutation, somatic embryogenesis, and somatic hybridization; genetic engineering including genetic transformation and gene silencing; and molecular genetic mapping and mapping of genes and comprehensive delineations on genome sequencing and comparative genomics; resequencing for elucidation of origin and diversity; large-scale genome analysis; plastid genome sequence; transcriptomics; metabolomics; proteomics; evolutionary genomics; role of regulatory genes in development and adaptation and their utilization in trait improvement; precise breeding for yield, quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses; and prospects of genome editing.

Plant Breeding Reviews presents state-of-the-art reviews on plant breeding and genetics covering horticultural, agronomic and forestry crops, incorporating both traditional and molecular methods. The contributions are authored by world authorities, anonymously reviewed, and edited by Professor Jules Janick of Purdue University, USA. The series is an indispensible resource for crop breeders, plant scientists, and teachers involved in crop improvement and genetic resources. Initiated in 1983, Plant Breeding Reviews is published in the form of one or two volumes per year. Recently published articles include: Epigenetics and Plant Breeding (v30) Enhancing Crop Gene Pools with Beneficial Traits Using Wild Relatives (v30) Coffee Germplasm Resources, Genomics and Breeding (v30) Molecular Genetics and Breeding for Fatty Acid Manipulation in Soybean (v30) Breeding Southern Highbush Blueberries (v30) Development of Fire Blight Resistance by Recombinant DNA Technology (v29)

Due to their diversity, vegetable Brassicas are of great economic import and offer unique opportunities to enrich our knowledge about plant growth, development, and rapid phenotypic evolution. By applying emerging genomic technologies, we may greatly increase our understanding of the Brassica biology and breeding efficiency. This volume contains 11

Approx.3876 pages Approx.3876 pages