Plant Biotechnology

Plant biotechnology is a discipline that should be well known and accepted as a sub field under the umbrella of pharmaceutical biotechnology. Plant biotechnology is an extension of this traditional plant breeding with one very important difference plant biotechnology allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. Traditional plant breeding involves the crossing of hundreds or thousands of genes, whereas plant biotechnology allows for the transfer of only one or a few desirable genes. This more precise Science allows plant breeders to develop crops with specific beneficial traits and without undesirable traits. The constant aim of plant breeding is to improve the quality, diversity and performance of agricultural and horticultural crops. The overriding objective is to develop plants better adapted to human needs. The evolution of plant breeding is a classic example of how improved biological understanding has been adapted to provide more effective methods of meeting the demands of a changing world. This book provides an authoritative review of many aspects of current interest and progress in the field of plant biotechnology that has been made in the recent past.