ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 160 II. In Vitro Biotechnologies: From Virus Elimination to Genetically Modi‹ed Geophytes ..... 161
A. Introductory Remarks ..................................................................................................... 161 B. Virus Elimination ........................................................................................................... 161 C. In Vitro Pollination, Fertilization, and Embryo Rescue ................................................. 162 D. Haploid Plants ................................................................................................................. 162 E. Callus Culture and Somaclonal Variation ...................................................................... 163 F. Variation through Polyploidization and Mutagenesis ..................................................... 163 G. Protoplast Culture and Somatic Hybrids ........................................................................ 163 H. Transformation and Genetic Manipulation ..................................................................... 164
III. Genetic Engineering for Disease Resistance ......................................................................... 165 A. Resistance to Virus ......................................................................................................... 165
1. Strategies for Virus Resistance ................................................................................. 165 2. Genes for Virus Resistance ....................................................................................... 165 3. Transformation of Geophytes for Virus Resistance .................................................. 166 4. Risk Assessment of Virus-Resistant Plants .............................................................. 168
B. Resistance to Fungi ......................................................................................................... 168 1. Strategies for Fungal Resistance ............................................................................... 168 2. Genes for Fungal Resistance ..................................................................................... 169 3. Transformation of Geophytes for Fungal Resistance ................................................ 170
C. Resistance to Bacteria ..................................................................................................... 172 1. Strategies for Bacterial Resistance ............................................................................ 172 2. Genes for Bacterial Resistance ................................................................................. 173 3. Transgenic Resistance to Bacteria in Geophytes ...................................................... 173
IV. Genomics ............................................................................................................................... 173 A. Introductory Remarks ..................................................................................................... 173 B. Genome Organization ..................................................................................................... 174 C. ESTs ....... ......................................................................................................................... 175 D. Promoters ........................................................................................................................ 176 E. Genes .... .......................................................................................................................... 177 F. Alternative Methods in Genetic Modi‹cation ................................................................ 180
V. Conclusions and Future Prospects ......................................................................................... 181 Chapter Contributors ...................................................................................................................... 182 References ...................................................................................................................................... 183
Plant biotechnology is de‹ned as techniques that use live organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, plant, and animal cells) to make or modify a product, to improve plants, or to engineer plants for speci‹c uses. Modern plant biotechnology holds considerable promise to meet the challenges in agricultural and horticultural production. It encompasses genetic engineering, enzyme and protein engineering, plant tissue culture technology, biosensors for biological monitoring, bioprocessing, and fermentation technology. Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary ‹eld of research encompassing biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, genetics, immunology, pathology, developmental biology, and so on.
