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In continuation of Volumes 8 and 9 (1989) on in vitro manipulation of plant protoplasts, this new volume deals with the regeneration of plants from protoplasts and genetic transformation in various species of Agrostis, Arabidopsis, Atropa, Brassica, Catharanthus, Datura, Cucumis, Daucus, Digitalis, Duboisia, Eustoma, Festuca, Helianthus, Hordeum, Kalanchoe, Linum, Lobelia, Lolium, Lotus, Lycium, Lycopersicum, Mentha, Nicotiana, Pelargonium, Pisum, Pyrus, Salvia, Scopolia, and Solanum. These studies reflect the far reaching implications of protoplast technology in genetic engineering of plants. They are of special interest to researchers in the field of plant tissue culture, molecular biology, genetic engineering, and plant breeding. ... Read more

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Examines how biotechnology can improve the quality and productivity of fruit and vegetable cultivation. Explores its major impact on fruit and vegetable cultivation and subsequent food processing. ... Read more

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Plant biotechnology has become a priority area for technology transfer in developing countries where production of food, feed, and fiber is of vital concern. Many programs now have sufficient experience to permit anin-depth examination of approaches, achievements, controversies, and anticipated benefits. Developing countries are showcased for leading-edge advances, as represented by contributions from South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru with a foreword form World Food Prize Laureate, M.S. Swaminathan. These presentations are augmented by reviews from organizations facilitating plant biotechnology transfer, including philanthropic foundations, bilateral and multilateralorganizations, and other new initiatives. Introductory chapters address the subjects of sustainable development, regulatory concerns, accessibility of resources, environmental issues, and socio-economic research. ... Read more

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Research in the genomics of a handful of fungi has matured at an unprecedented rate allowing comprehensive review. Developments in fungal genomics should be of great significance to new strategies in fields where disciplinary crossovers of fungal genomics, genes and their regulation, expression, and engineering will have a strong impact in dealing with agriculture, foods, natural resources, life sciences, biotechnology, informatics, metabolomics, pharmaceuticals and bioactive compounds.

This volume analyzes the commonly used molecular markers systems, and elaborates the development of biochemical genetics, which provides a model system that established the relationship between genes and enzymes. Current knowledge about the genomic and genetic variability of Candida albicans, the polymorphic fungus that is an opportunistic human pathogen of increasing medical importance, has been covered in detail. Current understanding of the genetics and functional genomic analysis of the most important fungal pathogens of staple food crops, rice and wheat among others is covered including chapters dealing with the genomics of economically important fungi such asMagnaporthe grisea, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhizoctonia, Mycosphaerella graminicola, and entomopathogenic fungi. With several thousand recent citations, it is hoped that volume four will serve as a useful reference for knowledgeable veterans and beginners as well as those crossing disciplinary boundaries into the exciting field of biotechnology, genomics and bioinformatics of fungi. ... Read more

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The object of the present work is to offer to the farmer a concise outline of the general principles of Agricultural Chemistry. It has no pretensions to be considered a complete treatise on the subject. On the contrary, its aim is strictly elementary, and with this view I have endeavoured, as far as possible, to avoid unnecessary technicalities so as to make it intelligible to those who are unacquainted with the details of chemical science, although I have not hesitated to discuss such points as appeared essential to the proper understanding of any particular subject.
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Examines biological methods that may be used with genetically engineered plants, animals, microbes, and fungi. DLC: Transgenic organisms--Safety measures. ... Read more

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Thirty reports in this volume constitute a major presentation of crop vegetables biotechnology with emphasis on tomato. The authors are specialists in this field from universities and research organizations around the world. ... Read more

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Our future depends on food: it controls our health, underpins social structures, and helps dictate the political agenda. Among the crucial issues discussed in this challenging study of food by the eminent biologist Brian J. Ford are new food-borne diseases and the dietary needs of the young, the elderly, and women. He examines the complex questions of genetically modified food and provides important insights into food intolerance and life-threatening allergies, the relationship between food and culture, organic farming, the impact of climate change, and how revolutionary new foods will change the world. ... Read more

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The book reviews recent advances in tropical plant breeding. Each of the twenty-four chapters describes a specific crop, which has been written by scientists working in the field of plant breeding and genetic improvement of that particular species. The book will be a reference work for professional plant breeders as well as researchers,teachers, and students. ... Read more

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In 1994 a little California biotech startup called Calgene introduced the Flavr SavrTMtomato, the first genetically engineered whole food ever brought to market, and laid the groundwork for the entire agricultural biotechnology industry.

In a fast-paced narrative full of colorful characters, surprising twists and turns, and several eye-opening revelations, Belinda Martineau chronicles the story behind the making of the Flavr SavrTM, from its conception, through its much-heralded introduction to market, and its ignominious disappearance. As a member of the Calgene team that developed the Flavr SavrTM and secured its regulatory approval, Martineau underwent a transformation from an enthusiastic believer in biotechnology's promise to a battle-weary skeptic. Her account serves as a cautionary tale for the biotech age, offering a revealing look at how the science of genetic engineering is actually done, how corporate decisions are really made in biotech startups, and how the regulatory system in the U.S. does and doesn't work.

Most importantly, First Fruit goes beyond the polarized debate currently surrounding genetically modified foods to illustrate both the benefits and the risks of this new technology.Amazon.com Review
Engaging both sides of the agricultural biotech controversy and hoping to initiate a reasoned dialogue, geneticist Belinda Martineau explores thedevelopment and eventual failure of the Flavr Savr tomato in FirstFruit. One of the Calgene scientists who worked on the tomato (thefirst genetically modified food on the market), she offers great insightinto the scientific and business factors that drive the research andmarketing of biotech products. Concerned about the eager and simplisticdenial of most of her colleagues when faced with protests from consumeradvocates, she wants to see more direct communication between the twosides.

Using the story of Flavr Savr's development, Martineau shows the reader both the quality of biotech research and the power of management to obfuscate or otherwise affect that work. Though straying into dead-end stories of her colleagues' interactions a little too often, for the most part the narrative flows smoothly and draws the reader along swiftly to the tomato's eventual, inevitable demise in the market. Ironically, the Flavr Savr failed more because it couldn't live up to Calgene's nearly messianic marketing than from any protester's work, even if it did launch a few activists' careers. Telling industry to pay more heed to honesty and research while suggesting that the public pursue better scientific education shouldn't be asking too much--perhaps First Fruit will help de-escalate the debate. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Managerial strategies and research projects in action
This book have some very interesting perspectives:

1) The book is an insiders view on the development of the biotechnologies presented in a non-glamourous style

2) The book is a witness that standard strategic thinking has it limits when it come to explain the nature of biotechnology development. Also the book's description of how the development of the Flavr Savr tomato was approved and how this became a FDA standard is very interesting reading to people who think of public regulatory work as totally independent of corporate interests.

The book is much more intense than Kidder's book: The Soul of the New Machine and that says something of the quality of Martineau's book.

Direction for Sound Decision-making about Biotech Food
As the mother of three young children, I found First Fruit accessible, reassuring and empowering.I'm concerned about the food that my family eats.Is it healthy, pure and wholesome?How do I make good decisions about food for my family?Enter First Fruit.It reads like a novel, fast-paced and enthralling.In the midst of this most important and well-written story, Belinda Martineau delivers information that helps me to break out of my confusion, fears and ignorance about biotech food.She thoroughly and respectfully covers the science and history of this monumental venture.She humanizes it by bringing the players involved to life - warts and all.As the book draws to its conclusion, after many hilarious, infuriating, egomaniac, frustrating, cruel, brilliant, and optimistic moments told, my concerns for my family come full circle.What is healthy, pure and wholesome for our world?How do we, or should we, as industries, governments, academics, NGO's and the general public make good decisions about food for our world?With a fabulous birth metaphor and without an alarmist tone, Belinda Martineau points us all in the right direction.

Highly readable account of thought provoking subject matter
First Fruit presents the story of Calgene's development of the Flavr Savr tomato, the world's first bioengineered food.The book provides interesting insights on many aspects of the project.Calgene and its investors poured more than $200 million into what turned out to be a flawed hypothesis - that Calgene's scientists could produce a firm, great tasting tomato capable of withstanding the rigors of transportation from the fields to supermarkets at a commercially viable price.First Fruit is very well written and conveys its subject matter in a reader-friendly conversational style that those of us without Ph.D.'s can understand.

The book recounts the emotional roller coaster ride inside Calgene as project scientists encountered a seemingly endless string of scientific, regulatory, and legal obstacles.The strain brought out admirable qualities in some people and questionable conduct in others.One highlight is Dr. Martineau's description of her own "inquisition," where she unsuspectingly walked into what had been billed as a staff meeting only to be confronted by seven "true believers" who proceeded to berate her for what they perceived to be her lack of loyalty to the cause.Then there is the story of the arrival of the first truckload of Flavr Savr tomatoes.Numerous Calgene officers and directors traveled to Chicago, hoping to see proof that their miracle fruit had solved the transportation problems that had plagued the industry.Instead, they were greeted by the spectacle of tomato puree leaking from the truck.Not one tomato had survived the trip.One employee repeatedly intoned, presciently, "It's over, it's all over."

First Fruit concludes with a thought provoking discussion of Flavr Savr's impact on the Food and Drug Administration's scrutiny of genetically engineered plant applications.Dr. Martineau relates how the relatively minor genetic engineering involved, together with the apparent absence of any negative side effects, may have lulled the FDA into a false sense of security.Given recent news accounts, such as those of the widespread contamination of numerous corn products with StarLink genetically engineered corn not approved for human consumption, this discussion may be the most important in the book.

Insider's view: How The First Biotech Tomato Flopped
First Fruit provides an interesting, quick read of a Califonia company's effort to develop and sell the Flavr Savr tomato - the first gentically engineered, but not the last, whole food. Written by a Flavr Savr researcher, the book highlights the internal clash between business executives seeking immediate financial returns and scientists charged with coming up with a high-tech tomato that genetic science had not yet produced for general salad consumption. The book's middle-third is a little too technical if you never managed better than a C+ in chemisty or biology, but the insider's view of the struggle to get the new tomato to market and her responsible conclusions make this book a must read for anyone interested in the emerging global role of biotechnology. ... Read more

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ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA ... Read more

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From aerobic reactions to convective heat transfer & more
Competently compiled and edited by the experienced and credentialed Dennis R. Heldman (an informed expert whose professional titles include Director of the Cooperative Research Development Program at the Center for Advanced Food Technology), the Marcel Dekker edition of the Encyclopedia Of Agricultural, Food, And Biological Engineering is an exhaustive, in-depth and professionally thorough resource. Informed and informative entries cover everything from aerobic reactions to convective heat transfer in foods to soil dynamics, water vapor properties and much more. The Encyclopedia Of Agricultural, Food, And Biological Engineering is confidently recommended as being an exhaustive, clearly written, meticulously detailed, 1184-page consulting library reference for students and professionals alike in the complex and rapidly evolving realm of agriculture, food science, and biological/genetic engineering. ... Read more

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Interest has recently grown in the non-food uses of agricultural raw materials (ARMs), particularly in developed economies. Reasons for this include the fact that in Western Europe at least, land is now surplus to food production requirements and concern about the environmental consequences of exploiting finite fossil resources. The end products sought for non-food uses are carbohydrates, fats and fibres derived from both conventional crops such as wheat, maize, oilseed rape, sugar beet and flax, as well as less conventional crops or byproducts such as lupins, elephant grass, straw and agricultural waste.

This book provides an integrated perspective on both the technology and economics of the processes involved. In many cases, ARMs have to compete with cheaper substrates such as oil. The author analyzes two case studies in detail: bioethanol and a particular biodegradable plastic. Relevant political and legislative aspects, for example in the United States, Japan and the European community, as well as in less-developed countries such as Brazil, the Caribbean and some African countries where ARMs are used for energy purposes are also studied. The book will interest a wide range of people in academic research, industry and policy making concerned with the practical potential of this area of biotechnology. ... Read more

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Product Dimensions: 23x16x2 cm.This book looks at the application of a variety of biotechnologies to agricultural development. It addresses recent concerns about the sterile-seed terminator technology and about the biosafety of genetically modified foods/crops, and assesses the potential of apomixis as a possible countervailing strategy to the adverse effects of the terminator, for some crops. The book introduces the concepts of participatory plant breeding and diversified site-or field potential to meet the needs of small-scale farmers in developing countries whose traditional wisdom and indigenous knowledge can be put to good use through inputs from modern biotechnology for the benefit fo humanity. The text provides a valuable source of recent information not only to researchers of agriculture and biotechnology but also meets the course requirements of students in agronomy, genetics and plant breeding, crop physiology and related disciplines in agriculture, biotechnology, food processing, nutrition and home science. Contents Chapter 1: General Introduction; Definition and Perspective of Biotechnology, New technologies, Scope, potential & achievements, Introduction to agriculture, Effects of biotechnology on agrobiodiversity.... Chapter 2: Techniques; Introduction, Plant tissue culture and its impact on agriculture, Gene transfer to plants....Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Agriculture; Introduction, Crop diversity, The struggle for genetic resources,...Chapter 4: Crop Genetic Resource and Plant Breeding; Introduction, The genecological approach,... Chapter 5: Biological Nitrogen Fixation; Introduction, Forage Legumes, Alley cropping,...Chapter 6: Transgenics Crops and Biosafety; Introduction, Genetically modified crops,...Chapter 7: Food and Nutrition; Introduction, Biotechnology and food security,...Chapter 8: Management; Introduction, Global agricultural sustainability, Mega agriculture...References. ... Read more

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In agriculture, microbial biotechnology covers a wide array of subjects ranging from biofertilizers to biological control of pests and diseases; from biological N 2 -fixation to lignocellulose degradation; from production of biomass and biofuels to genetically engineered plants. Similarly, microbial biotechnology in aquaculture touches several aspects such as biofilms, bioprocessing of biomaterials (metabolites, enzymes, proteins, exopolysaccharides, etc.), application of biofertilizers, probiotics, bio-remediation of contaminated water, etc. This book is an attempt to highlight the significant aspects of the vast subject area like application of microbial biotechnology in agriculture and aquaculture. ... Read more