ABSTRACT

Thousands of secondary metabolites are produced by plants to withstand unfavourable environmental conditions and are important molecules for nutraceutical, agro, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, etc. Harvesting of plants for the extraction of these important metabolites can threaten the plant germplasm, and various medicinally important plants are at the verge of extinction. Based on need, various methods and strategies were developed and followed by researchers from time to time to save the plant germplasm and produce important secondary metabolites efficiently to meet their growing demands.

Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance Plant Secondary Metabolites: Recent Trends and Future Prospects provides a comprehensive introduction and review of state-of-the-art biotechnological tools in this field of research at global level. The methodologies are highlighted by real data examples in both in vitro and in vivo level studies.

The book:

Highlights and provides overviews of the synthesis, classification, biological function and medicinal applications of the recent advancements for the enhanced production of novel secondary metabolites in plants

Provides an overview of the role of induced mutation, salinity stress and brassinosteroids impact to increase the secondary metabolic contents in plants and suggests an increase in enzymatic activity in plants could be due to various point mutations, which in turn could play a role at transcriptome levels

Discusses the significant role of endophytes to enhance the contents of plant secondary metabolites

Alternatively, suggests the urgent need to set up the standard operating procedures using hydroponics system of cultivation for significant enhancement of secondary metabolite contents

Enlists various in vitro techniques to enhance plant secondary metabolites contents using plant tissue culture approaches

Provides a systematic overview of state-of-the-art biotechnological tools CRISPER Cas9 and RNAi to enhance the plant secondary metabolite contents

Recommends CRISPER Cas9 technology over RNAi, ZFNs and TALENs because of its relatively simple and high precision method with an easily programmable tool

This serves as a reference book for the researchers working in the field of plant secondary metabolites and pharmaceutical industries at global level.

chapter 8|8 pages

Brassinosteroids

The Phytohormones with Potential to Enhance the Secondary Metabolite Production in Plants