Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all
previous expectations. Plant biotechnology, integrated with classical
breeding, is now on the verge of creating the `evergreen revolution' to
solve the world's envisaged tripled demand for food, agricultural
commodities and natural products. New biotechnologies are being
continuously adapted to agricultural practices, opening new vistas for
plant utilization. Plant biotechnology is changing the plant scene in
three major areas: (1) growth and development control (vegetative,
generative and propagation), (2) protecting plants against the
ever-increasing threats of abiotic and biotic stress, (3) expanding the
horizons by producing specialty foods, biochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The potential for improving plant and animal productivity and their
proper use in agriculture relies largely on newly-developed DNA
biotechnology and molecular markers. These techniques enable the
selection of successful genotypes, better isolation and cloning of
favorable traits, and the creating of transgenic organisms of importance
to agriculture.
These areas were extensively discussed at the 9th international congress
of the International Association of Plant Tissue Culture and
Biotechnology, `Plant Biotechnology and In Vitro Biology in the 21st
Century', which was held in Jerusalem in June 1998. The present book of
proceedings contains the variety of scientific achievements and
techniques that were presented: Basic and Applied Aspects of Growth,
Development and Differentiation; Genetic Manipulations: Transformation
and Gene Expression, Hybridization, Haploidization and Mutagenesis;
Genetic Stability and Instability, Selection and Variability; Regulation
of Primary and Secondary Metabolism; Model Systems: Cell Cycle,
Transport and Signal Transduction; Biotechnology for Plant Protection:
Abiotic and Biotic Stress; Biotechnology for Crop Improvement: Yield,
Quality and Production of Valuable Substances; Novel Micropropagation
Methods; New Markets and Commercial Applications; Intellectual Property
Rights.
