Plant Biotechnology

The green revolution led to the development of improved varieties of crops, especially cereals, and since then, classical or molecular breeding has resulted in the creation of economically valuable species. Thanks to recent developments in biotechnology, it has become possible to introduce genes from different sources, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, mice and humans, to plants. This technology has made the scientific community aware of the critical role of transgenic, not only as a means of producing stress tolerant crops but also as a platform for the production of therapeutics through molecular farming. Biotechnology and　Crop　Improvement: Tissue Culture and Transgenic Approaches focuses on important field crops to highlight germplasm enhancement for developing resistance to newly emerging diseases, pests, nutrient- and water-use efficiency, root traits and improved tolerance to increasing temperature and introduces significant recent achievements in crop improvement using methods such as micropropagation, somaclonal variation, somatic embryogenesis, anther/pollen/embryo culture, and compressing the breeding cycle for accelerated breeding and early release of crop varieties.

The genus Salvia represents nearly 1,000 species that are widely distributed around the world. It is the largest in the Lamiaceae family. Traditionally, infusions of Salvia species have been widely used to treat oral inflammation, throat and headaches, and digestive disturbances in various folklore- and ethno-medicine practices worldwide.