About Book

Since the introduction of biotechnology-derived commercial crop, farmers have used this science to grow plants that yield more per acre with reduced production costs while being resistant to disease and pests and also beneficial to the environment. Plant biotechnology is the study and practice of breeding plants in order to make them profitable. The process involves giving better characteristics to plants by various methods like molecular markers, reverse breeding, doubled haploids, genetic modifications, etc. In present times it studies the cross-breeding, texture and color of plants and other mechanisms. It can be accomplished through different techniques from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation to more complex techniques. It also highlights important factors that are often overlooked by methodologies used to develop plants’ tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses and in the development of special foods, bio-chemicals and pharmaceuticals. This book elucidates the concepts and innovative models around prospective developments with respect to plant biotechnology. It focuses on abiotic stress, transgenic plants, RNA in plants, arabidopsis, vitro regeneration, acclimatization and antimicrobial studies. This book is a valuable compilation of various topics, ranging from the most basic to the most complex ones. It explores all the important aspects of the area in the present-day scenario. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this book an invaluable source of knowledge. It is an essential guide for both academicians and those who wish to pursue this discipline further.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 The Role of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria in the Growth of Cereals under Abiotic Stresses ..............................................................1

Abstract ..................................................................................................1

1. Introduction............................................................................................1

2. Importance of cereals in global nutrition .......................................2

3. Abiotic stress effects on agriculture..................................................3

4. Plant growth-promoting bacteria.......................................................5

5. Plant-bacterial interactions enhance abiotic stress responses ...10

6. Issues and perspectives......................................................................16

Chapter 2 Transgenic Plants: Gene Constructs, Vector and Transformation Method.........................................................................................................29

Abstract.................................................................................................29

1. Introduction..........................................................................................30

2. Application of transgenic plants......................................................30

3. Gene constructs...................................................................................32

4. Vectors for the production of transgenic plants...........................35

5. Transformation techniques................................................................38

6. Integration and inheritance of the transgenes..............................42

7. Analysis and confirmation of transgene integration...................44

8. Future directions.................................................................................45

Acknowledgements.............................................................................46

Chapter 3 Role of Next-Generation RNA-Seq Data in Discovery and Characterization of Long Non-Coding RNA in Plants...................55

Abstract.................................................................................................55

1. Introduction..........................................................................................56

2. High-throughput RNA sequencing.................................................57

3. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)....................................................58

4. Molecular mechanisms of the functioning of lncRNAs..............61

5. Expression profiling of lncRNAs.....................................................63

6. Databases for lncRNAs......................................................................65

7. Biological roles of lncRNAs..............................................................65

8. Limitations in computational analysis of lncRNAs.....................68

Acknowledgements.............................................................................68

Chapter 4 Vascular Tissue Development and Regeneration in the Model

Plant Arabidopsis......................................................................................77

1. Introduction..........................................................................................77

2. Secondary vascular tissues in woody plants................................78

3. Vascular tissue development and regeneration in mechanically

stimulated inflorescence stems of Arabidopsis.............................84

4. Role of plant hormone auxin and auxin transporters in vascular

tissue development.............................................................................94

5. Genetic control of vascularization processes.................................98

6. Emergence of Arabidopsis as a good model system to study the

vascular tissue formation and regeneration processes..............101

7. Conclusions........................................................................................102

Acknowledgements...........................................................................103

Chapter 5 Water Stress Hinders In Vitro Regeneration of Plants..................112

Abstract...............................................................................................112

1. Introduction........................................................................................113

2. The effect of increasing tissue water content on in vitro

regeneration.......................................................................................114

3. The effect of increased water absorption on shoot

regeneration.......................................................................................118

4. The effect of water deficiency originated stress in explant on

shoot regeneration capacity............................................................122

5. Conclusion..........................................................................................123

Chapter 6 The Extraordinary Nature of RNA Interference in Understanding

Gene Downregulation Mechanism in Plants...................................128

Abstract...............................................................................................128

1. Introduction ......................................................................................129

2. RNAi machinery: Brief overview of its biogenesis ..................130

3. Role of miRNAs in plant immunity.............................................135

4. RNAi in crop protection against pest insects.............................138

5. Gene silencing and viral immunity..............................................139

6. Human health approaches in gene silencing: biosafety and final

considerations....................................................................................142

7. Conclusions........................................................................................144

Chapter 7 In vitro Regeneration, Acclimatization and Antimicrobial Studies

of Selected Ornamental Plants............................................................158

1. Introduction........................................................................................158

2. Problem statement ...........................................................................159

3. Application area ..............................................................................160

4. Research course.................................................................................161

5. Method used .....................................................................................162

6. Results.................................................................................................165

7. Conclusion..........................................................................................176

Acknowledgement............................................................................177

Citation......................................................................................................185

Index...........................................................................................................187

About Author

Chester Sava pursued his M.Sc. in Plant Science and Biotechnology from Public University of Science, Canberra. He has conducted works on genetically modified food production. He is a Guest Lecturer at Technical Institute, Auckland. He has served as a reviewer in several well-known scientific journals. He has also been presented the “Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award”. Sava has extensively researched, the fields of plant science; and has simultaneously produced researches published as journal papers and articles.