Crop Improvement: Biotechnological Advances – Biomedical Science

The field of biotechnology is advancing at a fast pace. The availability of low-cost DNA/genome sequencing technologies has led to the discovery and functional characterization of myriad of genes imparting stress tolerance and quality traits. The ‘omics’ group of technologies including genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics has revolutionized the agricultural biotechnology sector. The Nobel Prize-winning technology, such as the genome editing technique, is being employed to edit various gene functions in plants aiding in crop improvement. This technology may be adopted very quickly by consumers compared with the transgenic technique because the genome-edited plants have no adverse effects on the genome of the plant itself and on the environment and related species/non-target organisms.

In this book, authors have attempted to compile the latest techniques of agricultural biotechnology and their applications in crop improvement. Certain chapters have been dedicated to describe the use of nanotechnology, a fast emerging new technique in the agriculture sector.

• Development, potential and safety issues in biotechnology
• Advances in genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics in agriculture
• Protein bioinformatics and its applications
• Genetically modified (GM) technology and its implications
• Genome editing in crop improvement
• Marker-assisted selection (MAS) in crop improvement
• Mutation breeding
• Cryobiotechnology
• Nanotechnology and biosensors

This book includes real-world examples and applications making it accessible to a broader interdisciplinary readership. We hope that it will serve as a reference book for researchers engaged in molecular biology and biotechnology and will act as a ready reckoner for postgraduate (PG) students in the biotechnology discipline.