This is the first book on the genome of Salvia miltiorrhiza, summarizing the research advances in the molecular mapping, whole genome sequencing, chloroplast and mitochondria genomes, epigenetics, transcriptomics and functional genomics of this emerging model plant with great economic and medicinal value. It also describes its distribution, taxonomy and morphology and provides useful information on its cultivation and breeding. Further, it highlights the biosynthetic pathways of tanshinones and phenolic acids - two main classes of bioactive components produced in this plant species - and reviews and discusses the technology of hairy root induction, tissue culture and genetic transformation of S. miltiorrhiza.

The book is a valuable resource for students, teachers and researchers in academia and industry interested in medicinal plants and pharmacy.

Prof. Shanfa Lu is a full professor and Xiehe scholar at the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College. He has been working in the fields of plant physiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, and genomics, and has published more than eighty quality research articles and reviews, contributed five book chapters, and edited two books. Prof. Lu has reviewed manuscripts for more than thirty international journals, evaluated grant proposals for thirteen Chinese and international funds, and is on the editorial board of six international journals. Prof. Lu has a Bachelor's degree in Plant Physiology & Biochemistry and a Master's degree in Plant Physiology, which were received from Beijing Agricultural University. He completed his Ph.D. in Botany at the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He also completed an international post-graduate university course in Microbiology at Osaka University, Japan. Prof. Lu once worked at the Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences as Research Assistant and Assistant Professor. He was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Michigan Technological University and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at North Carolina State University, USA. He also worked at North Carolina State University as Research Assistant Professor.