Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology: Fundamentals, Advances, and Practices for a Greener Future

This new volume, Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology: Fundamentals, Advances, and Practices for a Greener Future, looks at the application of a variety of technologies, both fundamental and advanced, that are being used for crop improvement, metabolic engineering, and the development of transgenic plants.

The science of agriculture is among the oldest and most intensely studied by mankind. Human intervention has led to manipulation of plant gene structure for the use of plants for the production of bioenergy, food, textiles, among other industrial uses. A sound knowledge of enzymology as well as the various biosynthetic pathways is required to further utilize microbes as sources to provide the desired products for industrial utility. This volume provides an overview of all these aspects along with an updated review of the major plant biotechnology procedures and techniques, their impact on novel agricultural development, and crop plant improvement. Also discussed are the use of "white biotechnology" and "metabolic engineering" as prerequisites for a sustainable development. The importance of patenting of plant products, world food safety, and the role of several imminent organizations is also discussed.

The volume provides an holistic view that makes it a valuable source of information for researchers of agriculture and biotechnology as well as agricultural engineers, environmental biologists, environmental engineers, and environmentalists. Short exercises at the end of the chapters help to make the book suitable for course work in agriculture biotechnology, genetics, biology, biotechnology, and plant science.

Enzymes. Immobilization Biocatalysis. Enzymes in Non-Conventional Media. Metabolic Engineering. Use of Enzymes in Industry. White Biotechnology. Agricultural Biotechnology. and History. Plant Breeding and Seed Technology. Plant Tissue Culture. Plant Nutrition and Phytohormones. Transgenic Plants. Global Food Safety.

Prerna Pandey, PhD, a biotechnologist with several years of wet lab research experience, worked at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India. Her field included isolation and molecular characterization of Geminiviruses, genome sequencing, gene annotation, and gene silencing using the RNA interference technology. She has also worked at Transasia Biomedicals and Advance Enzyme Technologies as a scientist. Dr. Pandey has published papers in peer-reviewed journals in the field and has submitted a number of annotated Geminiviral genome sequences in the GenBank, including two novel ones. She has also completed her editing and proofreading courses from Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) and now works as a freelance scientific writer and editor.

Anjali Priyadarshini, PhD, is a Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India awardee and holds a doctorate in biomedical sciences. Her field of research and interest includes biotechnology and nanotechnology. Dr. Priyadarshini has published papers in peer-reviewed journals in the biomedical field. She currently works as assistant professor at Delhi University, India.