Plant Cell Biotechnology

In the past there were many attempts to change natural foodstuffs into high-value products. Cheese, bread, wine, and beer were pro duced, traditionally using microorganisms as biological tools. Later, people influenced the natural process of evolution by artificial selection. In the 19th century, observations regarding the depen dence of growth and reproduction on the nutrient supply led to the establishment of agricultural chemistry. Simultaneously, efforts were directed at defining the correlation between special forms of morphological differentiation and related biochemical processes. New experimental systems were developed after the discovery of phytohormones and their possible use as regulators of growth and differentiation. In these systems, intact plants or only parts of them are cultivated under axenic conditions. These methods, called "in vitro techniques", were introduced to modern plant breeding. In the field of basic research, plant cell cultures were increasingly developed and the correlations between biochemical processes and visible cell variations were explored further. It should be possible to manipulate the basic laws of regulation and the respective biochemi cal processes should be regarded as being independent of morpho logical processes of plant development.

The aim of this volume is to merge classical concepts of plant cell biology with the recent findings of molecular studies and real-world applications in a form attractive not only to specialists in the realm of fundamental research, but also to breeders and plant producers. Four sections deal with the control of development, the control of stress tolerance, the control of metabolic activity, and novel additions to the toolbox of modern plant cell biology in an exemplary and comprehensive manner and are targeted at a broad professional community. It serves as a clear example that a sustainable solution to the problems of food security must be firmly rooted in modern, continuously self re-evaluating cell-biological research. No green biotech without green cell biology. As advances in modern medicine is based on extensive knowledge of animal molecular cell biology, we need to understand the hidden laws of plant cells in order to handle crops, vegetables and forest trees. We need to exploit, not only empirically, their astounding developmental, physiological and metabolic plasticity, which allows plants to cope with environmental challenges and to restore flexible, but robust self-organisation.

A number of interdisciplinary fields related to Plant Cell Biotechnology are discussed. The two main directions are: Plant cell culture in agricultural applications for the improvement of crops and industrial applications in the production of secondary metabolites. A number of areas such as physiological and biochemical aspects of autotrophic cells, gene characterization in higher plants, transformation of plant cells, genetic stability in plant cell cultures, somatic hybridization and somatic embryogenesis are treated. Recent knowledge on somaclonal and gametoclonal variation as well as on the obtainment of protoplasts and their use for the isolation and culture of heterocaryons as tools for plant breeding are considered. Furthermore, the knowledge on biomass production in fermentor conditions and the role of immobilization for increased production and scale-up of plant cells are discussed.

This book provides a general introduction as well as a selected survey of key advances in the fascinating field of plant cell and tissue culture as a tool in biotechnology. After a detailed description of the various basic techniques employed in leading laboratories worldwide, follows an extended account of important applications in, for example, plant propagation, secondary metabolite production and gene technology. Additionally, some chapters are devoted to historical developments in this domain, metabolic aspects, nutrition, growth regulators, differentiation and the development of culture systems. The book will prove useful to both newcomers and specialists, and even “old hands” in tissue culture should find some challenging ideas to think about.

Plant cells regulate all the vital processes occurring inside the plant. They cause cellular responses to external stimuli and determine the structure, growth and life cycle of the plant. Cells contain valuable evidence about the environment and the ecology that sustains the plant. Research in this field concerns with processes like phytoremediation, biofortification, etc. This book outlines the principles of plant cell biology. New technologies related to the field of plant breeding have been covered in it as well. It is an essential guide for both academicians and those who wish to pursue this discipline further.

A comprehensive state-of-the-art collection of the most frequently used techniques for plant cell and tissue culture. Readily reproducible and extensively annotated, the methods range from general methodologies, such as culture induction, growth and viability evaluation, and contamination control, to such highly specialized techniques as chloroplast transformation involving the laborious process of protoplast isolation and culture. Most of the protocols are currently used in the research programs of the authors or represent important parts of business projects aimed at the generation of improved plant materials. Two new appendices explain the principles for formulating culture media and the composition of the eight most commonly used media formulations, and list more than 100 very useful internet sites.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.