Biology and Breeding of Crucifers

Systematics and Evolution of wild crucifers. Phylogenies of "Brassica" and wild relatives. Cytogenetics of wide hybrids involving wild crucifers. Self-incompatibility in wild crucifers. Introgression of genes from wild crucifers. Biology of wild crucifers. Crucifer phytoalexins. Genome and Karyotype evolution in wild crucifers. Economic importance of wild crucifers. Wild crucifers in relation to disease resistance genes. Chemistry of bioactive components in wild crucifers. Cytoplasmic male sterility. Germination and viability. Transfer of herbicide resistance genes from wild crucifers. Variation in agronomic traits. Biosynthesis and molecular genetics of erucic acid. Floral variation in "cruciferae". Preservation and maintenance of crucifer plant genetic resources.

The book contains 18 review chapters by different authors of various aspects of the Cruciferae. The general theme is the genetic exploitation of wild species, with some emphasis on Asian oil-seed species. Several chapters are authoritative and comprehensive, covering systematics and evolution, manipulation of the sexual process, interspecific hybridization, cytogenetics and gene introgression. Some topics (e.g. cytoplasmic male sterility, C3-C4 photosynthesis, somatic hybridization) are repeated in separate chapters. The figures within each chapter are monochrome and some are of poor quality, but are replicated in high quality colour in a separate section in the centre of the book. These reviews are likely to make the book valuable to researchers and plant breeders for at least a decade. - Peter Crisp writing in Expl Agric. (2010), volume 46 (1), C Cambridge University Press 2009

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