Providing a comprehensive yet concise overview, this text describes biological technologies in crop improvement from the earliest domestication of plants to modern developments such as biopharming and marker-assisted selection. Focusing on key technical topics such as transgenesis and biocontainment, it also addresses the scientific and social context of biotechnology. It is an essential resource for students of plant science, agriculture, biotechnology and breeding as well as professionals and researchers in pharmaceutical, biofuel and breeding companies who require a succinct yet comprehensive and accessible text.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
PART I. PLANTS AND THEIR GENOMES; 1. Plants and their exploitation by people; 2. The evolution of photosynthetic organisms; 3. Plant molecular genetics and genomics; PART II. HOW PLANTS FUNCTION; 4. Plant metabolism; 5. Plant organisation and development; 6. Plant responses to the environment; PART III. HOW PLANTS ARE MANIPULATED; 7. Domestication and the empirical exploitation of plants; 8. The scientific manipulation of plants; 9. Crop improvement in the 20th century; PART IV. PLANTS, SOCIETY AND THE FUTURE; 10. Plant biotechnologies in the 21st century; 11. Social context of plant biotechnologies; 12. Future challenges for plant biotechnology.
