Contents

### **Preface XI**



Preface

Transgenic crops are referred to as genetically engineered crops. Traits, otherwise impossi‐ ble to introduce by conventional breeding techniques, are tailored using genetic manipula‐ tion and transformation approaches. While developing transgenics, biotechnologists have paid much attention to improving crops to withstand the devastating effects of biotic and abiotic stresses, including insects, pathogens, weeds, salinity, and drought. Advancement in recombinant technology augurs well in the development of transgenics expressing nutra‐ ceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and antigenic proteins (vaccines) for humans and livestock. Henceforth, this book discusses the state-of-the-art advances in this rapidly developing area of transgenic technology, a technology for the food and health security of mainly poor peo‐ ple in developing countries where populations and urbanization are rapidly increasing.

*Transgenic Crops - Emerging Trends and Future Perspectives* consists of seven chapters. The flow of chapters in the book is strategically organized to allow for easy reading. It begins with Chapter 1 in which Drs. Muhammad Sarwar Khan and Kauser Abdulla Malik demon‐ strate comprehensively how novel molecular biology approaches could be used to develop transgenic crops for agronomic and medicinal traits. In Chapter 2, Dr. Mangena explains the factors affecting efficient regeneration of transgenic plants developed through an *Agrobacte‐ rium*-mediated method of genome engineering. Dr. Ricaño-Rodríguez and his team in Chap‐ ter 3 propose the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology that has allowed the generation of diverse molecular methodologies to constitute significant advances in the genome edition and its subsequent exploitation for agricultural and medicinal purposes. In Chapter 4, Dr. Khan and his team discuss the emerging trends in chloroplast biotechnology, and highlight the use of the technology in the sustainable production of food and expensive molecules. Drs. Muhammad Sayyar Khan and Mudassar Nawaz Khan suggest in Chapter 5 how develop‐ ments in -omics approaches have revolutionized the biotechnology field for crop improve‐ ment against drought and salinity stresses. Drs. Mousavi and Fard very comprehensively highlight genetic improvement of commercially important tropical and subtropical fruit trees, including banana, date palm, citrus, mango, olive, and pineapple in Chapter 6. Drs. Matsaunyane and Dubery discuss the pros and cons of developing transgenic plants in Chapter 7, and suggest that the unattended effects of gene insertions into the genomes be brought about while analyzing the transgenic plants for differential gene expression profil‐

**Muhammad Sarwar Khan, PhD**

**Kauser Abdulla Malik, PhD**

Center of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore, Pakistan

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Professor and Director

Professor and Dean

ing, keeping in view safety assessment guidelines and requirements.
