Plant Cell and Tissue Culture—A Tool in Biotechnology: Basics and Application by Neumann, Karl-Hermann, Kumar, Ashwani, and Imani, Jafargholi

Abstract

An elegant production from Springer this year from their well-known and very wellreceived series Principles and Practices came in the form of a handy book on plant tissue culture by Neumann et al. (2009). This volume is unique in the production series as this is not an edited volume as is mostly expected by the title and the publisher which makes it more interesting reading and attractive since there is less chances of repetitions of some basic aspects as is commonly observed in several multiauthored volumes. The three authors, all of them being well respected for their basic research in their respective disciplines, have been instrumental in bringing forward this timely volume. Although plant tissue culture used extensively in several laboratories across the globe in not a new innovation in plant science, however, the authors deserve credits in trying to bring about a nice balance in describing all the commonly used plant tissue culture approaches. The approach of including several examples and description of well-illustrated protocols from available primary literature and the author's own laboratory experiences and helpful guidelines make this volume a gem for conventional tissue culture practices. The volume has been divided into 15 separate chapters dealing with introduction (chapter 1), history (chapter 2), callus culture (chapter 3), cell suspension culture (chapter 4), protoplast culture (chapter 5), and haploid techniques (chapter 6) to begin with. This is followed by nice coverage of plant propagation approaches, factors influencing cell culture systems, primary and secondary metabolism as chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively. Plant hormones and growth regulators, cell division, growth and differentiation, and genetic technology constitute chapters 11, 12, and 13. The last two chapters are summaries of physiological aspects and applications of plant cell and tissue culture technology. The authors have avoided providing too much information and in-depth discussion about every individual aspect of tissue culture but have been cautious in highlighting most prevalent techniques and providing broad overviews. Additional references and associated primary literature are available for more serious and enthusiastic readers, advanced level Appl Biochem Biotechnol (2010) 162:1377–1378 DOI 10.1007/s12010-009-8855-x