Michael G. K. Jones

The current status of the subject is explained well in this commendable book. By describing the essential problems faced in improving plants and their underlying molecular biology, and the relevance of the new techniques, the text is made accessible to botanists and biotechnologists. Chapter 1 details the successes and limitations of established breeding techniques. This is followed by an introduction to the biology of cultured cells which acts as a base for discussion of germplasm storage and micropropagation (chapter 4), an introduction to somaclonal variation (5) and protoplast fusion (6). Similarly, an introduction to the molecular biology of plants and its manipulation (3) clarifies a section on genetic transformation in chapter 6. The later chapters focus on manipulation of plant product quality and quantity (including nitrogen fixation) (7), manipulations of reproductive biology and development (8) and manipulation of resistance (including resistance to fungi, viruses, insects, herbicides and stress) (9). The final chapter, on the prospects for the future of plant biotechnology, suggests some of the limitations to progress, and mentions the uncertainty about permission for release experiments. A glossary of technical terms, a subject index and suggestions for general and specific reading are included.