Richard Litz & Fernando Pliego-Alfaro 
Biotechnology of Fruit and Nut Crops 

This book covers the biotechnology of all the major perennial fruit and nut species. Since the publication of the first edition of this book in 2005, there has been significant progress in cell culture, genomics and genetic transformation for many of these species. This book covers these biotechnologies and also traditional ones, such as regeneration pathways, protoplast culture, in vitro mutagenesis, and ploidy manipulation that have been applied to many of these species. Three species, Diospyros kaki (persimmon), Punica granatum (pomegranate) and Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) are included for the first time, and several Prunus species now receive separate coverage. The species are organized by plant family to facilitate comparisons among related ones. Each species is discussed in relation to its family and its related wild forms, and most are accompanied by full colour illustrations. This book is a vital resource for those working on the improvement of perennial fruit, nut and plantation crops.

The book features:

Detailed coverage of major perennial fruit and crop species.
Coverage of traditional and new biotechnologies.
Full colour illustrations to aid identification

This book is an essential resource for scientists and postgraduate students who are engaged in the improvement of perennial fruit, nut and plantation crops and will also be an important accession for university and agricultural research libraries.

About the author

Fernando Pliego-Alfaro is Professor of Plant Physiology at the the Botany and Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Sciences (University of Malaga) and researcher of the Subtropical Fruit Crops Department at Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea La Mayora (IHSM). His research has focused on the development of regeneration and transformation protocols of subtropical and temperate fruit crops such as avocado, olive and strawberry, contributing to establish the bases for biotechnological breeding. His current interests focus on improving tolerance of these crops to soil borne pathogens. He has been involved in numerous research projects and has authored more than 150 refereed publications and book chapters; his postgraduate training activities include supervision of 20 Ph.D. and numerous M. Sc. thesis, of students from different countries.