Product Description

This guide to plant tissue culture introduces new developments in biotechnology, such as genetic engineering and cell culture. It provides recipes for propagating plants from more than 30 families. It explains how to set up a propagating laboratory, from a hobbyist's kitchen to an elaborate commercial enterprise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426573 in Books
• Published on: 1996-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

From the Publisher
The only layperson's guide to plant tissue culture
This essential reference remains the most accessible and practical book on micropropagation, or cloning, of plants. The basic procedure is simple: a piece of a plant--stem, root, leaf, or bud--is placed in the smallest greenhouse--a test tube--and allowed to grow in a sterile medium. Yet this is the only book that tells readers exactly how to grow plants in this way, providing step-by-step recipes for many different plants.

The book is divided into two sections. The first, "The Basics of Tissue Culture," explores the background of micropropagation: a brief overview, history of botany, and laboratory practices. A short course in chemistry lays the foundation for concocting the nutrient solutions, and advice is offered regarding possible problems with cultures. This section also reflects advances in biotechnology and discusses biological contaminants. Section II, "Culture Guide to Selected Plants," provides recipes for propagating 54 varieties of ferns, conifers, and flowering plants--an increase of 15 percent from the previous edition. An extensive bibliography and a large appendix of suppliers of chemicals and equipment complete this comprehensive edition.