After the 1988 and 1989 volumes, this is the third volume on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. Each of the 29 chapters contributed by international scientists deals with one individual plant genus, namely Atropa, Ageratina, Ailanthus, Aconitum, Apium, Aloe, Akebia, Bidens, Carthamus, Chamomilla, Carum, Citrus, Cymbopogon, Dysosma, Euphorbia, Fritillaria, Glycyrrhiza, Lavandula, Nigella, Pelargonium, Perilla, Podophyllum, Rosa, Scutellaria, Securinega, Solanum, Swertia, Symphytum, Syringa. Their distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, in-vitro propagation and production of metabolites through tissue culture are treated in detail. Special emphasis is laid on the potential of industrial in-vitro production of plant compounds of medical and pharmaceutical relevance using tissue culture.

There has been tremendous progress in the genetic transformation of agricultural crops, and plants resistant to insects, herbicides,and diseases have been produced, field tested and patented. Transgenic Crops III compiles this information on ornamental, aromatic, medicinal and various other crops. It comprises 26 chapters and is divided into two sections. I. Ornamental, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants: Anthurium, Antirrhinum, Artemisia, Begonia, Campanula, carnation, chrysanthemum, Dendrobium, Eustoma, Gentiana, Gerbera, Gladiolus, Hyoscyamus muticus, Hyssopus officinalis, ornamental Ipomoea, Leontopodium alpinum, Nierembergia, Phalaenopsis, Rudbeckia, Tagetes, and Torenia. II. Miscellaneous Plants: Craterostigma plantagineum, Flaveria bidentis, Moricandia Solanum brevidens, and freshwater wetland monocots. The book is of special interest to advanced students, teachers and research workers in the fields of plant breeding, genetics, molecular biology, plant tissue culture and plant biotechnology in general.

Ex situ preservation of germplasm for higher plant species has been accom plished using either seeds or clones, but storage of these under typical condi tions does not provide the extreme longevities that are needed to minimize risk of loss. Costs of maintenance and regeneration of stocks are also high. Systems that provide virtually indefinite storage should supplement existing methods and it is within this context that cryopreservation is presented. The use of low temperature preservation was initially more a concern of medicine and animal breeding, and was expanded to plants in the 1970s. Sur vival after cryogenic exposure has now been demonstrated for diverse plant groups including algae, bryophytes, fungi and higher plants. If survival is com monplace, then the eventual application is a cryopreservation system, whereby cells, tissues and organs are held indefinitely for use, often in the unforeseen future. The increasing interest and capabilities for application could not have occurred at a more opportune time since expanding human populations have placed unprecedented pressures on plant diversity. This book emphasizes cry opreservation of higher plants and was initially driven by the concern for loss of diversity in crops and the recognized need that this diversity would be essential for continued improvement of the many plants used by society for food, health and shelter. The interest in cryopreservation has been expanded by conservationists and their concerns for retaining, as much as possible, the diversity of natural populations. The need for cryopreservation, thus, is well established.

This richly illustrated volume describes how somatic hybrids can contribute to the improvement of crops. It comprises 24 chapters dealing with interspecific and intergeneric somatic hybridization and cybridization, providing valuable tools for plant breeders.

Successful release of new and better crop varieties increasingly requires genomics and molecular biology. This volume presents basic information on plant molecular marker techniques from marker location up to gene cloning. The text includes a description of technical approaches in genome analysis such as comparison of marker systems, positional cloning, and array techniques in 19 crop plants. A special section focuses on converting this knowledge into general and specific breeding strategies, particularly in relation to biotic stress. Theory and practice of marker assisted selection for QTL, gene pyramiding and the future of MAS are summarized and discussed for maize, wheat, and soybean. Furthermore, approaches in silviculture on the examples of Fagus, Populus, Eucalyptus, Picea and Abies are presented. The volume ends with a comprehensive review of the patents relevant for using molecular markers and marker assisted selection.

Medicinal Plants: Culture, Utilization and Phytopharmacology covers over 400 species. Each chapter gathers valuable information from a wide variety of sources, and supplies it to the user in convenient table format, arranged alphabetically by scientific name, followed by the common name. Data topics include: major constituents (active ingredients) and medicinal values of plants; toxicity or hazardous components; essential oils; value-added products and possible uses; cultivation and harvesting; diseases and insects found in medicinal plants. Three appendices (alphabetical listing of plants by common name, followed by the scientific name; essential oils and their derivation; active ingredients and their sources) provide handy cross-references to the Tables.

In continuation of Volumes 8 and 9 (1989) on in vitro manipulation of plant protoplasts, this new volume deals with the regeneration of plants from protoplasts and genetic transformation in various species of Agrostis, Arabidopsis, Atropa, Brassica, Catharanthus, Datura, Cucumis, Daucus, Digitalis, Duboisia, Eustoma, Festuca, Helianthus, Hordeum, Kalanchoe, Linum, Lobelia, Lolium, Lotus, Lycium, Lycopersicum, Mentha, Nicotiana, Pelargonium, Pisum, Pyrus, Salvia, Scopolia, and Solanum.These studies reflect the far reaching implications of protoplast technologyin genetic engineering of plants. They are of special interest to researchers in the field of plant tissue culture, molecular biology, genetic engineering, and plant breeding.

Recently. there has been tremendous progress in the genetic transformation of agricultural crops, and plants resistant to insects, herbicides, and diseases have been produced, field tested and patented. Transgenic Crops I compiles this information on cereals, grasses, legumes, and oilseed crops. It comprises 25 chapters and is divided into two sections: I. Cereals and Grasses: wheat, rice, maize, barley, sorghum, pearl millet, triticale, Agrostis spp., Cenchrus ciliaris, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca arundinacea, Lolium spp., and sugarcane. II. Legumes and Oilseed Crops: Arachis hypogaea, Brassica juncea, Brassica napus, Cicer arietinum, Glycine max, Gossypium hirsutum, Helianthus annuus, Lens culinaris, Linum usitatissimum, Sinapis alba, Trifolium, and Vicis narbonensis. This book is of special interest to advanced students, teachers, and research workers in the field of plant breeding, genetics, molecular biology, plant tissue culture, and plant biotechnology in general.

The first compilation of a wealth of knowledge on tobacco BY-2 cells, often cited as the HeLa cell line of higher plants. Basic issues of cell cycle progression, cytokinesis, cell organization and factors that are involved in these processes are covered in detail. Since the tobacco cell line is used as a tool for research in molecular and cellular biology, several chapters on such studies are also included. Further, changes of primary and secondary metabolites during culture and factors that affect these processes are treated. Last but not least, the so far unpublished historical background of the BY-2 cell line is described. This volume is a must for any scientist working in the field of plant biology.

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.