Breeding and Biotechnology of Grass and Bast Fiber Crops

The basic concept of this book is to study the use of both innovative and conventional plant breeding methods to develop new varieties of grass and bast fiber crops under different environmental conditions for sustainable fiber production. The book covers 19 genera including Dendrocalamus, Hordeum, Zea, Avena, Sorghum, Saccharum, Triticum, Musa, Linum, Cannabis, Apocynum, Corchorus, Hibiscus, Opuntia, Pongamia, Crotalaria, Cissus, Areca and Acacia. Chapters are written by internationally respected scholars and go through a review process to ensure quality presentation and scholarly accuracy. Each chapter begins with an introduction covering relevant backgrounds and provides an in-depth discussion of the topic supported by high-quality color photographs, illustrations, and relevant data. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research directions and a comprehensive list of relevant references to facilitate further reading. The book will be an excellent reference resource for breeders involved in fiber crop breeding programs that involve biotechnology and molecular tools alongside conventional breeding. It is suitable for both undergraduate and advanced graduate students majoring in agriculture, biotechnology and molecular breeding.

Professor Khaled F. M. Salem is affiliated with Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, Ad-Dawadimi, Saudi Arabia and Plant Biotechnology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, University of Sadat City, Egypt. He earned his B.S., Crop Science with excellent honor degree, 1993 and M.S. focus on rice breeding from Menoufiya University, Egypt, 1998. His M.S. was conducted at Rice Research and Training Center, Field Crops Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. In 2004, he completed his Ph.D., Plant Breeding and Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. His Ph.D. project was conducted at IPK, Gatersleben, Germany. From 2001-2004 he worked as visiting scientist at Gene Bank Department and Gene and Genome Mapping Group, IPK, Germany. Additionally, he attended several training courses as visiting scientist in China, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and CIMMYT. He serves as reviewer for 50 journals and editor for several journals. Professor Salem has published 78 articles, 30 book chapters, and 25 conference proceedings. In addition, he edited plant gene bank reference book. His research has focused on cereal, fiber, and vegetable crops biotechnology for past three decades. He has also mentored and supervised master’s and Ph.D. students.

Prof. Jameel M. Al-Khayri is affiliated with the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. He received B.S. in Biology in 1984 from the University of Toledo, M.S. in Agronomy in 1988, and Ph.D. in Plant Science in 1991 from the University of Arkansas. He is the National Correspondent of the International Association of Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology. Al-Khayri has authored 155 research articles, 92 chapters and edited several journal special issues. In addition, he edited 42 reference books on plant biotechnology, genetic resources, breeding, genomics and nanotechnology. In addition to teaching, advising and research, he held administrative responsibilities as the Assistant Director of Date Palm Research Center, Head of Department of Plant Biotechnology and Vice Dean for Development and Quality Assurance. AlKhayri served as a Member of Majlis Ash-Shura (Saudi Legislative Council) for the 2009–2012 term. He is interested in agricultural innovations and sustainability. 

Prof. Shri Mohan Jain, (Adjunct) is currently associated with the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Received M.Phil. 1973 and Ph.D., 1978, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He served as a Technical Officer, Plant Breeding, and Genetics, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria, from 1999–2005 when the agency was awarded Nobel Peace Prize, 2005. He is on the Editorial Board of Euphytica, In Vitro, Propagation of Ornamental Plants; a reviewer in plant cell and organ culture, Plant Cell Reports, and Plants. His publications are more than 225 peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and conference proceedings, and edited 82 books; invited speakers and acted as a Chairperson in several international conferences worldwide. He is a former consultant to the IAEA, the European Union, The Government of Grenada, the Iranian Private Company, and the Egyptian Government.