Kategoria BISAC: Science >> Life Sciences - Botany

Except for one area of gene expression control, plant research has significantly fallen behind studies in insects and vertebrates. The advances made in animal gene expression control have benefited plant research, as we continue to find that much of the machinery and mechanisms controlling gene expression have been preserved in all eukaryotes. Through comparison, we have learned that certain aspects of gene regulation are shared by plants and animals, i.e. both contain introns separating the coding regions of most genes and both utilize similar machinery to process the introns to form...

For the past decade, there has been success in using conventional map-based strategies in identification and cloning of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in model plant species including tomato and Arabidopsis. These quantitative traits are generally the products of many loci with varying degrees of effect upon the observed phenotypes. Recently, a new approach to genetic mapping has emerged called association mapping. This new technique takes into account the thousands of genes to evaluate for QTL effect and is a more efficient approach that does not require generation of segregating...

Ethanol as an alternative fuel is receiving a lot of attention because it addresses concerns related to dwindling oil supplies, energy independence, and climate change. The majority of the ethanol in the US is produced from corn starch. With the US Department of Energy's target that 30% of the fuel in the US is produced from renewable resources by 2030, the anticipated demand for corn starch will quickly exceed the current production of corn. This, plus the concern that less grain will become available for food and feed purposes, necessitates the use of other feedstocks for the production...

Cryopreservation has proven to be an important tool for the storage and conservation of plant genetic resources. This book is a unique resource for plant scientists, providing more than 100 ready-to-use cryopreservation protocols for plant types from algae and bryophytes to a range of flowering plants. It includes techniques for diverse plant parts such as dormant buds, pollen, and apical meristems and for cell types such as suspension and callus cultures.

Agrobacterium is a plant pathogen which causes the "crown-gall" disease, a neoplastic growth that results from the transfer of a well-defined DNA segment ("transferred DNA," or "T-DNA") from the bacterial Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid to the host cell, its integration into the host genome, and the expression of oncogenes contained on the T-DNA. The molecular machinery, needed for T-DNA generation and transport into the host cell and encoded by a series of chromosomal (chv) and Ti-plasmid virulence (vir) genes, has been the subject of numerous studies over the past several decades. Today,...

Agriculture depends on improved cultivars, and cultivars are developed through proper plant breeding. Unfortunately, applied plant breeding programs that are focused on cereal commodity crops are under serious erosion because of lack of funding. This loss of public support affects breeding continuity, objectivity, and, perhaps equally important, the training of future plant breeders and the utilization and improvement of plant genetic resources currently available. Breeding programs should focus not only on short-term research goals but also on long-term genetic improvement of germplasm....

Written by the leading authorities on the plant diversity and ecology of the Pacific islands, this book is a magisterial synthesis of the vegetation and landscapes of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. It is organized by island group, and includes information on geography, geology, phytogeographic relationships, and human influences on vegetation. Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands features over 400 color photographs, plus dozens of maps and climate diagrams. The authors' efforts in assembling the existing information into an integrated, comprehensive book will be welcomed by...