Somaclonal Variation and Induced Mutations in Crop Improvement

The basic purpose of this book is to describe the relative value of each method of improving various agricultural crops by using parasexual techniques. While no book can be a complete source of all the information on a subject, a range of topics were selected to highlight the recent developments in mutagenesis (conventional approach and molecular biology) and in vitro induced variation in plant breeding. We have deliberately kept short the title of this book, simply emphasizing somaclonal variation and induced mutation. §This book is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains 13 chapters mainly on somaclonal variation (SCV), covering SCV in crop improvement, SCV in ornamentals, cereals and forage grasses, banana, and forest trees, cytogenetic basis of SCV, in vitro selection, gametoclonal variation, protoclonal variation, and solanaceous medicinal plants. Section 2 deals with induced mutation, and is covered in 10 chapters mainly on mutagenesis in sugarcane, fruit trees, apomixsis, ornamental plants, disease resistance, cereals and legumes, and vegetatively propagated plants. Section 3 describes the molecular aspects of mutagenesis and somaclonal variation, insertional mutagenesis (T-DNA mutagenesis, transposons), and molecular methods for identifying somaclonal variation, RAPD markers in banana somaclones, and transgene expression.