Plant tissue culture techniques help in understanding basic life processes, which is essential to improving crop productivity. Furthermore, recently molecular biology has assumed great importance with respect to plant biotechnology. This book combines all three aspects into one with a focus on practical applications of various techniques. It discusses micropropagation studies on several crop plants, the molecular basis of understanding various life processes including the molecular basis of somatic embryogenesis, and other physiological and biochemical processes having significant biotechnological applications. It also covers in vitro studies of certain important plants like Aloe vera, Simmondsia chinensis, Anacyclus pyrethrum and Crataeva nurvala, Arachis hypogaea L., Phoenix dactylifera, Dendrocalamus asper, Asparagus adescendens Roxb., natural products of plant origin with their therapeutic potential and biotechnological production, as well as genome analysis of crop plants with future applications in biotechnology.
