This book discusses cancers and the resurgence of public interest in plant-based and herbal drugs. It also describes ways of obtaining anti-cancer drugs from plants and improving their production using biotechnological techniques. It presents methods such as cell culture, shoot and root culture, hairy root culture, purification of plant raw materials, genetic engineering, optimization of culture conditions as well as metabolic engineering with examples of successes like taxol, shikonin, ingenol mebutate and podophylotoxin. In addition, it describes the applications and limitations of large-scale production of anti-cancer compounds using biotechnological means. Lastly, it discusses future economical and eco-friendly strategies for obtaining anti-cancer compounds using biotechnology.

Dothistroma pini changed New Zealand commercial forestry dramatically. Tree breeding became concentrated on a very few species and development of selection methods and breeding strategies changed in response to the new challenges. Tree-Breeding and Genetics in New Zealand provides a critical historical account of the work on provenance research and tree breeding, often with the wisdom of hindsight, and it tracks the development of breeding strategy, especially for P. radiata, Douglas-fir and the most important eucalypt species, E. regnans, E. fastigata and E. nitens. The book is a compendium of abstracts and summaries of all publications and reports on tree improvement in New Zealand since the early 1950s, with added critical comment by the author on much of the work. It is intended for other tree breeders internationally, for interested NZ foresters and for graduate students studying genetics and tree breeding.

Soil salinity is a key abiotic-stress and poses serious threats to crop yields and quality of produce. Owing to the underlying complexity, conventional breeding programs have met with limited success. Even genetic engineering approaches, via transferring/overexpressing a single 'direct action gene' per event did not yield optimal results. Nevertheless, the biotechnological advents in last decade coupled with the availability of genomic sequences of major crops and model plants have opened new vistas for understanding salinity-responses and improving salinity tolerance in important glycophytic crops. Our goal is to summarize these findings for those who wish to understand and target the molecular mechanisms for producing salt-tolerant and high-yielding crops. Through this 2-volume book series, we critically assess the potential venues for imparting salt stress tolerance to major crops in the post-genomic era. Accordingly, perspectives on improving crop salinity tolerance by targeting the sensory, ion-transport and signaling mechanisms are presented here in volume 1. Volume 2 will focus on the potency of post-genomic era tools that include RNAi, genomic intervention, genome editing and systems biology approaches for producing salt tolerant crops.

This detailed volume covers a wide variety of techniques either developed specially for plant senescence studies or optimized for studying senescing plants. After an introduction to the topic, the book continues with sections on phenotypic analysis and molecular markers of plant organ senescence, hormonal control of plant senescence, stress-induced senescence, molecular and cellular processes in plant senescence, as well as systems biology approaches. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Senescence: Methods and Protocols aims to provide a useful hand book of standard protocols for plant molecular biologists working on senescence.

This volume provides the plant scientific community with a collection of established and recently developed experimental protocols to study plant gravitropism. The first few chapters in this book discuss topics such as methods to properly orient plant material for gravitropism studies; protocols for data collection and image analysis; and techniques to investigate ion, organelle, and auxin transporter dynamics, particularly in living cells, as the plant is responding to a change in its orientation. The next few chapters talk about topics that are essential for understanding the complexities underlying tropisms and plant movements in general, and outline basic protocols on handling ornamental flowering shoots for basic plant gravitropism studies. The book concludes with chapters that discuss plant biological studies in space in order to take advantage of unique microgravity conditions not available in Earth-based studies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Informative and cutting-edge, Plant Gravitropism is the perfect book for researchers in the plant scientific community because it is not only useful for plant gravitropism studies, but also addresses a range of interesting problems in plant growth and development.

In these short illustrated guides, Dr Mark Everard, avid nature-watcher, angler and scientist, takes a dedicated look at three British freshwater fishes, the Silver Bream, Gudgeon and Ruffe. Though an integral part of aquatic ecosystems and well-known to anglers, these fish are often overlooked by the wider public as well as scientists. Each book is in three sections, first exploring the biology of the fish itself, including science written in accessible style, second discussing angling history and tips, and thirdly exploring the fish's cultural connections, including etymology of the fish. A bibliography at the end of each guide directs the reader to additional resources.

This volume presents protocols for Brachypodium genomics in numerous areas ranging from marker development, trait evolution, functional genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics, and tilling. This book also explores techniques to study the widening genetic base of Brachypodium that will help researchers better understand the model plant using NGS technologies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Brachypodium Genomics: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for bench-oriented molecular biologists and computational biologists working towards further evolving this field.

This volume presents a comprehensive perspective of the biopesticides Bacillus thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus, from their basic biology to agriculture, forestry and public-health applications. It covers their ecology, virulence factors, and genetic characterization. The topics related to agriculture and forestry include mode of action, receptors of insect pests, and heterologous expression of toxins in insect cells and plants. Public-health researchers will find information on vector control programs with an emphasis on the Neotropical region. The book also discusses new products and the global market.

With a focus on food safety, this book highlights the importance of microbes in sustainable agriculture. Plants, sessile organisms that are considered as primary producers in the ecosystem and communicate with above- and below-ground communities that consist of microbes, insects, and other vertebrate and invertebrate animals, are subjected to various kinds of stress. Broadly speaking, these can be subdivided into abiotic and biotic stresses. Plants have evolved to develop elaborate mechanisms for coping with and adapting to the environmental stresses. Among other stresses, habitat-imposed biotic stress is one serious condition causing major problems for crop productivity. Most plants employ plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) to combat and protect themselves from stresses and also for better growth. PGPMs are bacteria associated with plant roots and they augment plant productivity and immunity. They are also defined as root-colonizing bacteria that have beneficial effects on plant growth and development. Remarkably, PGPMs including mycorrhizae, rhizobia, and rhizobacteria (Acinetobacter, Agrobacterium, Arthrobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Bradyrhizobium, Frankia, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Serratia, Thiobacillus) form associations with plant roots and can promote plant growth by increasing plants' access to soil minerals and protecting them against pathogens. To combat the pathogens causing different diseases and other biotic stresses, PGPMs produce a higher level of resistance in addition to plants' indigenous immune systems in the form of induced systemic resistance (ISR). The ISR elicited by PGPMs has suppressed plant diseases caused by a range of pathogens in both the greenhouse and field. As such, the role of these microbes can no longer be ignored for sustainable agriculture. Today, PGPMs are also utilized in the form of bio-fertilizers to increase plant productivity. However, the use of PGPMs requires a precise understanding of the interactions between plants and microbes, between microbes and microbiota, and how biotic factors influence these relationships. Consequently, continued research is needed to develop new approaches to boost the efficiency of PGPMs and to understand the ecological, genetic and biochemical relationships in their habitat. The book focuses on recent research concerning interactions between PGPMs and plants under biotic stress. It addresses key concerns such as - 1. The response of benign microbes that benefit plants under biotic stress 2. The physiological changes incurred in plants under harsh conditions 3. The role of microbial determinants in promoting plant growth under biotic stress The book focuses on a range of aspects related to PGPMs such as their mode of action, priming of plant defence and plant growth in disease challenged crops, multifunctional bio-fertilizers, PGPM-mediated disease suppression, and the effect of PGPMs on secondary metabolites etc. The book will be a valuable asset to researchers and professionals working in the area of microbial-mediated support of plants under biotic stress.

This book is a compilation of information on insect/mite/vertebrate pests and fungal/bacterial/viral/mycoplasma/nematode diseases of tropical root and tuber crops such as cassava, sweet potato, yams, taro, Amorphophallus, yam bean and tannia. The book highlights the distribution, symptoms and damage, biology, survival and spread of each pest and describes management methods. It also sheds light on different eco-friendly pest management strategies including physical, cultural, chemical, biological, host resistance and integrated methods. The book is written in a lucid style using easy-to-understand language and offers adoptable recommendations involving eco-friendly control measures. It serves as a useful reference source for policy makers, research and extension workers, practicing farmers and students. The material can also be used for teaching post graduate courses in state agricultural universities.

Rapid changes and significant progress have been made in the Agrobacterium field, such as genetically transforming plants for both basic research purposes and agricultural development. In Agrobacterium Protocols, Third Edition, Volumes 1 and 2, a team of leading experts and veteran researchers describe in detail techniques for delivering DNA to plant cells and permanently altering their genomes. This edition emphasizes agricultural crops and plant species with economic values, with updated protocols on 32 plant species and protocols involving 19 new species. Together with the 1st and 2nd editions, these two volumes offer Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation protocols for a total of 76 plant species. For a number of important plants such as rice, barley, wheat and citrus, multiple protocols using different starting plant materials for transformation are included. Volume 1 details updated techniques available for 18 plant species drawn from cereal crops, legume plants, vegetable plants, and three model plant species: Brachypodium distachyon, Medicago truncatula, and Setaria viridis. It also updates a chapter for vector construction, a step critical to a successful plant transformation process. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Agrobacterium Protocols, Third Edition facilitates the transfer of this rapidly developing technology to all researchers for use in both fundamental and applied biology.

Handbook of Microalgae: Biotechnology Advances offers complete coverage of marine microalgae, including biology, production techniques, biotechnological applications, economic perspectives of applications, and environmental effects of marine microalgae blooms. With contributions from world experts, Handbook of Microalgae: Biotechnology Advances focuses on microalgae from an organism perspective to offer a complete picture from evolution to biofuel.

An introduction to the principles of membrane transport: How molecules and ions move across the cell membrane by simple diffusion and by making use of specialized membrane components (channels, carriers, and pumps). The text emphasizes the quantitative aspects of such movement and its interpretation in terms of transport kinetics. Molecular studies of channels, carriers, and pumps are described in detail as well as structural principles and the fundamental similarities between the various transporters and their evolutionary interrelationships. The regulation of transporters and their role in health and disease are also considered.

This detailed volume explores numerous protocols that can be specifically used for studying plant programmed cell death (PCD), a mechanism involved in a number of physiological and pathological processes that are triggered by developmental requirements as well as changing/adverse environmental conditions. Rich in methodological recommendations, this book enables readers to perform the described analyses, alerting them to possible difficulties and showing how the methods can also be applied in different contexts and/or on different plant matrices. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Programmed Cell Death: Methods and Protocols provides essential methodological information that will help researchers to expand the field of plant PCD studies.

This volume provides up-to-date scientific achievements from the world's top researchers. Recombinant Proteins from Plants: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition guides readers through protocolsfor use with a variety of plant expression systems. Various aspects of production are covered including vector selection and cloning; product improvements for stability, glycosylation, and antibiotic-free selection; extraction and scale-up; and analysis of transgenic plants and their recombinant proteins. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Recombinant Proteins from Plants: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is an ideal reference for those who are interested in plant molecular biology and molecular farming.

Plant Circadian Networks: Methods and Protocols provides a collection of protocols to investigate clock-controlled parameters including transcript and small RNA levels, promoter activity using luciferase reporters, protein levels and posttranslational modification, protein-protein interaction, in vivo DNA-protein interaction and RNA-protein interaction, cellular redox state, Ca2+ levels, and innate immune responses. Furthermore, the use of bioinformatics resources is described to evaluate high throughput data sets and to integrate the data into an overarching picture of circadian networks in the cell. Additional chapters focus on seasonal processes like flowering time control, and techniques on trees, moss and algae. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Circadian Networks: Methods and Protocols is designed not only for the chronobiology community dealing with circadian biology but also for the plant community in general.