This book provides a general introduction as well as a selected survey of key advances in the fascinating field of plant cell and tissue culture as a tool in biotechnology. After a detailed description of the various basic techniques employed in leading laboratories worldwide, follows an extended account of important applications in, for example, plant propagation, secondary metabolite production and gene technology. Additionally, some chapters are devoted to historical developments in this domain, metabolic aspects, nutrition, growth regulators, differentiation and the development of culture systems. The book will prove useful to both newcomers and specialists, and even "old hands" in tissue culture should find some challenging ideas to think about.

Historical Developments of Cell and Tissue Culture Techniques

Callus Cultures
Cell Suspension Cultures
Protoplast Cultures
Haploid Techniques
Plant Propagation-Meristem Cultures,Somatic Embryogenesis
Some Endogenous and Exogenous Factors in Cell Culture Systems
Primary Metabolism
Secondary Metabolism
Phytohormones and Growth Regulators
Cell Division, Cell Growth, Cell Differentiation
Genetic Problems and Gene Technology
Summary of Some Physiological Aspects in the Development of Plant Cell and Tissue Culture
Summary: Applications of Plant Cell and Tissue Culture Systems.