Plant-based medicines play an important role in all cultures, and have been indispensable in maintaining health and combating diseases. The identification of active principles and their molecular targets from traditional medicine provides an enormous opportunity for drug development. Using modern biotechnology, plants with specific chemical compositions can be mass propagated and genetically improved for the extraction of bulk active pharmaceuticals. Although there has been significant progress in the use of biotechnology, using tissue cultures and genetic transformation to investigate and alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites, there are many challenges involved in bringing plants from the laboratory to successful commercial cultivation. This book presents the latest advances in the development of medicinal drugs, including topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics and future biotechnological directions.

The purpose of this book is to provide the advances in plant in vitro culture as related to perennial fruit crops and medicinal plants. Basic principles and new techniques, now available, are presented in detail. The book will be of use to researchers, teachers in biotechnology and for individuals interested to the commercial application of plant in vitro culture.

This volume presents information about protocols for micropropagation of more than 40 species of medicinal plants. The contents combine knowledge about the scientific principles of micropropagation with state of the art updates in tissue culture techniques presented by plant scientists. The readers will learn about techniques required to grow plants in challenging conditions that aim to reduce the impacts of injudicious harvesting, deforestation, climate change, pollution, urbanization and other factors that limit the ability to meet current demand. General topics such as biotization and pharmaceutical investigation are also included to guide readers about the significance of these plants in research and development for new medicines. The book provides protocols for micropropagation of important medicinal plants like Rauvolfia serpentina, Catharanthus roseus, Withania somnifera, Tylophora indica, Bacopa monnieri, Aloe vera, Phyllanthus amarus, Allium sativum, Moringa oleifera, Operculina turpethum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Pterocarpus marsupium, Vetiver grass, Ruta graveolens, Tinospora cordifolia, Kaempferia, Hedychium, Decalepis hamiltonii, Saraca asoca, Wrightia tinctoria, Wrightia arborea, Artemisia absinthium, Aegle marmelos, Atropa acuminata, Atropa belladonna, Alpinia species, Hedychium species, and Cissus species. This book is a handy reference for medicinal chemists, horticulturists and pharmacists who want to learn about the growth and conservation of important medicinal herbs and plants. Readership Medicinal chemists, horticulturists and pharmacists.

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have accompanied mankind from its very early beginnings. Their utilization has co-evolved with homo sapiens itself bringing about a profound increase in our scientific knowledge of these species enabling them to be used in many facets of our life (e.g. pharmaceutical products, feed- and food additives, cosmetics, etc.). Remarkably, despite the new renaissance of MAPs usage, ca. 80 % of the world’s population is relying on natural substances of plant origin, with most of these botanicals sourced from the wild state. This first volume and ultimately the series, provides readers with a wealth of information on medicinal and aromatic plants.

High-efficiency micropropagation, with relatively low labour costs, has been demonstrated in this unique book detailing liquid media systems for plant tissue culture. World authorities (e.g. von Arnold, Curtis, Takayama, Ziv) contribute seminal papers together with papers from researchers across Europe that are members of the EU COST Action 843 "Advanced micropropagation systems". First-hand practical applications are detailed for crops – including ornamentals and trees – using a wide range of techniques, from thin-film temporary immersion systems to more traditional aerated bioreactors with many types of explant – shoots to somatic embryos. The accounts are realistic, balanced and provide a contemporary account of this important aspect of mass propagation. This book is essential reading for all those in commercial micropropagation labs, as well as researchers worldwide who are keen to improve propagation techniques and lower economic costs of production. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in the applied plant sciences and horticulture will find the book an enlightened treatise.

Micropropagation has become a reliable and routine approach for large-scale rapid plant multiplication, which is based on plant cell, tissue and organ culture on well defined tissue culture media under aseptic conditions. A lot of research efforts are being made to develop and refine micropropagation methods and culture media for large-scale plant multiplication of several number of plant species. However, many forest and fruit tree species still remain recalcitrant to in vitro culture and require highly specific culture conditions for plant growth and development. The recent challenges on plant cell cycle regulation and the presented potential molecular mechanisms of recalcitrance are providing excellent background for understanding on totipotency and what is more development of micropropagation protocols. For large-scale in vitro plant production the important attributes are the quality, cost effectiveness, maintenance of genetic fidelity, and long-term storage. The need for appropriate in vitro plant regeneration methods for woody plants, including both forest and fruit trees, is still overwhelming in order to overcome problems facing micropropagation such as somaclonal variation, recalcitrant rooting, hyperhydricity, polyphenols, loss of material during hardening and quality of plant material. Moreover, micropropagation may be utilized, in basic research, in production of virus-free planting material, cryopreservation of endangered and elite woody species, applications in tree breeding and reforestation.

This volume presents information about protocols for micropropagation of more than 40 species of medicinal plants. The contents combine knowledge about the scientific principles of micropropagation with state of the art updates in tissue culture techniques presented by plant scientists. The readers will learn about techniques required to grow plants in challenging conditions that aim to reduce the impacts of injudicious harvesting, deforestation, climate change, pollution, urbanization and other factors that limit the ability to meet current demand. General topics such as biotization and pharmaceutical investigation are also included to guide readers about the significance of these plants in research and development for new medicines. The book provides protocols for micropropagation of important medicinal plants like Rauvolfia serpentina, Catharanthus roseus, Withania somnifera, Tylophora indica, Bacopa monnieri, Aloe vera, Phyllanthus amarus, Allium sativum, Moringa oleifera, Operculina turpethum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Pterocarpus marsupium, Vetiver grass, Ruta graveolens, Tinospora cordifolia, Kaempferia, Hedychium, Decalepis hamiltonii, Saraca asoca, Wrightia tinctoria, Wrightia arborea, Artemisia absinthium, Aegle marmelos, Atropa acuminata, Atropa belladonna, Alpinia species, Hedychium species, and Cissus species. This book is a handy reference for medicinal chemists, horticulturists and pharmacists who want to learn about the growth and conservation of important medicinal herbs and plants.