Plant Genetic Engineering (Improvement of Fruits)

Fruits form an integral part of food, which provide nutritional and economic security of people. China, India, Brazil and USA are the major fruit producing countries of the world. The productivity and quality of major fruit crops continued to remain below the potential level due to lack of quality seeds and genuine plant material, low density of plantation, low fruit set and excessive to a biotic stresses, reduced shelf life etc. Recent advances in plant tissue culture, biotechnology and molecular biology techniques have opened up new avenues for large scale multiplication of elite genotype, protection against viral and fungal pathogens and pests, improvement for a biotic stress tolerance, efficient production by shaping tree size and canopy architecture, better fruit shape, size and nutritional quality and post-harvest management of fruit crops. The present volume contains 13 chapters on the state of art, current-status, applications and limitations of the biotechnological approaches for the improvement of important tropical and temperate fruit crops e.g. citrus, mango, grape, banana, pineapple, melons, mulberry, strawberry, raspberry, cherry, litchi, avocado and cashew nut etc.