Biotechnologies of Crop Improvement, Volume 2: Transgenic Approaches

Description

During the past 15 years, cellular and molecular approaches have emerged as valuable adjuncts to supplement and complement conventional breeding methods for a wide variety of crop plants. Biotechnology increasingly plays a role in the creation, conservation, characterization and utilization of genetic variability for germplasm enhancement. For instance, anther/microspore culture, somaclonal variation, embryo culture and somatic hybridization are being exploited for obtaining incremental improvement in the existing cultivars. In addition, genes that confer insect- and disease-resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, herbicide tolerance and quality traits have been isolated and re-introduced into otherwise sensitive or susceptible species by a variety of transgenic techniques. Together these transformative methodologies grant access to a greater repertoire of genetic diversity as the gene(s) may come from viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, animals, human beings, unrelated plants or even be artificially derived. Remarkable achievements have been made in the production, characterization, field evaluation and commercialization of transgenic crop varieties worldwide. Likewise, significant advances have been made towards increasing crop yields, improving nutritional quality, enabling crops to be raised under adverse conditions and developing resistance to pests and diseases for sustaining global food and nutritional security. The overarching purpose of this 3-volume work is to summarize the history of crop improvement from a technological perspective but to do so with a forward outlook on further advancement and adaptability to a changing world. Our carefully chosen “case studies of important plant crops” intend to serve a diverse spectrum of audience looking for the right tools to tackle complicated local and global issues. Front Matter ....Pages i-xx Plant Genetic Transformation and Transgenic Crops: Methods and Applications (Satbir Singh Gosal, Shabir Hussain Wani)....Pages 1-23 Virus Induced Gene Silencing Approach: A Potential Functional Genomics Tool for Rapid Validation of Function of Genes Associated with Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants (Ajay Kumar Singh, Mahesh Kumar, Deepika Choudhary, Jagadish Rane, Narendra Pratap Singh)....Pages 25-39 RNA Interference: A Promising Approach for Crop Improvement (B. Mamta, Manchikatla V. Rajam)....Pages 41-65 RNAi for Resistance Against Biotic Stresses in Crop Plants (Pradeep Kumar Jain, Ramcharan Bhattacharya, Deshika Kohli, Raghavendra Aminedi, Pawan Kumar Agrawal)....Pages 67-112 RNAi Approach: A Powerful Technique for Gene Function Studies and Enhancing Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants (Ajay Kumar Singh, Mahesh Kumar, Deepika Choudhary, Lalitkumar Aher, Jagadish Rane, Narendra Pratap Singh)....Pages 113-127 Antifungal Plant Defensins: Insights into Modes of Action and Prospects for Engineering Disease-Resistant Plants (Jagdeep Kaur, Siva LS Velivelli, Dilip Shah)....Pages 129-140 Transgenic Plants for Improved Salinity and Drought Tolerance (Saikat Paul, Aryadeep Roychoudhury)....Pages 141-181 Engineering Disease Resistance in Rice (K. K. Kumar, E. Kokiladevi, L. Arul, S. Varanavasiappan, D. Sudhakar)....Pages 183-206 Genetic Transformation of Sugarcane and Field Performance of Transgenic Sugarcane (Gauri Nerkar, Avinash Thorat, Suman Sheelavantmath, Harinath Babu Kassa, Rachayya Devarumath)....Pages 207-226 Insect Smart Pulses for Sustainable Agriculture (Meenal Rathore, Alok Das, Neetu S. Kushwah, Narendra Pratap Singh)....Pages 227-247 Genetic Transformation of Millets: The Way Ahead (Sweta Dosad, H. S. Chawla)....Pages 249-286 Transgenic Research on Tomato: Problems, Strategies, and Achievements (Joydeep Banerjee, Saikat Gantait, Sutanu Sarkar, Prabir Kumar Bhattacharyya)....Pages 287-334 Genetic Transformation in Eucalyptus (Shuchishweta Vinay Kendurkar, Mamatha Rangaswamy)....Pages 335-366 Transgenic Manipulation of Glutamine Synthetase: A Target with Untapped Potential in Various Aspects of Crop Improvement (Donald James, Bhabesh Borphukan, Dhirendra Fartyal, V. M. M. Achary, M. K. Reddy)....Pages 367-416 Understanding the Phytohormones Biosynthetic Pathways for Developing Engineered Environmental Stress-Tolerant Crops (Sameh Soliman, Ali El-Keblawy, Kareem A. Mosa, Mohamed Helmy, Shabir Hussain Wani)....Pages 417-450 Transgenic Crops: Status, Potential, and Challenges (Tejinder Mall, Lei Han, Laura Tagliani, Cory Christensen)....Pages 451-485