Pollen Biotechnology for Crop Production and Improvement

Paperback  464 pages 37 line diagrams 17 half-tones 25 tables  ISBN 0521019753      £35.00

Our knowledge of pollen, the gold dust that carries the male germ line of flowering plants and is vital for sexual reproduction and seed formation, has 'come of age' with the publication of this book. Here, for the first time in a single volume, are all the ideas and techniques developed in the last two decades concerning the manipulation of pollen and pollen tubes in plant breeding and biotechnology. Pollen has never been an easy topic to come to grips with, with its variable and often inexplicable terminology that has made it a more difficult field in which to work. This book will remedy that, with its overview of pollen biology and pollen-pistil interactions that explains terms and concepts of the male function of pollen in a way that is readily understandable to the student and professional plant scientist and plant breeder.

'The book gives an excellent and comprehensive overview of Pollen biotechnology. The book is well worth reading and to be recommended.' J. M. Greef, Kiel, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science

'Taken together, the twenty one chapters, which are written to a consistently high standard, form the best current overview of pollination biotechnology in its broadest sense, making this an invaluable work of reference for advanced undergraduates, research workers and plant breeders, it also provides an ideal starting point for any university lecturer contemplating the development of an undergraduate course on pollen biology. In an age of increasing specialisation in biological research, the editors are to be congratulated on a volume which illustrates how a multidisciplinary approach to applied biology can generate solutions to practical problems and advance the understanding of fundamental biological processes. Highly recommended.' Biological Agriculture and Horticulture

Contents

1. Pollen biology and pollen biotechnology - an introduction K. R. Shivanna and V. K. Sawhney; Part A. Pollen Biology: An Overview: 2. Pollen development and pollen-pistil interaction K. R. Shivanna, M. Cresti and F. Ciampolini; 3. Gene expression during pollen development D. A. Hamilton and J. P. Mascarenhas; 4. Pollination biology and plant breeding systems P. G. Kevan; Part B. Pollen Biotechnology and Optimization of Crop Yield: 5. Pollination efficiency of insects A. R. Davis; 6. Pollination constraints and management of pollinating insects for crop production R. W. Currie; Part C. Pollen Biotechnology and Hybrid Seed Production: 7. Cytoplasmic male sterility P. B. E. McVetty; 8. Genic male sterility V. K. Sawhney; 9. Self-incompatibility A. McCubbin and H. Dickinson; 10. Chemical induction of male sterility J. W. Cross and P. J. Schulz; 11. Male sterility through recombinant DNA technology M. E. Williams, J. Leemans and F. Michiels; Part D. Pollen Biotechnology and Plant Breeding: 12. Barriers to hybridization K. R. Shivanna; 13. Methods for overcoming interspecific crossing barriers J. M. van Tuyl and M. J. de Jeu; 14. Storage of pollen B. Barnabas and G. Kovacs; 15. Mentor effects in pistil-mediated pollen-pollen interactions M. Villar and M. Gaget-Faurobert; 16. Pollen tube growth and pollen selection M. Sari-Gorla and C. Frova; 17. Isolation and manipulation of sperm cells D. D. Cass; 18. Isolation and micromanipulation of embryo sac and egg cell in maize E. Matthys-Rochon et al.; 19. In vitro fertilization with single isolated gametes E. Kranz; 20. Pollen embryos C. E. Palmer and W. A. Keller; 21. Use of pollen in gene transfer H. Morikawa and M. Nishihara; Index.