Genetic Engineering of Crop Plants for Food and Health Security : Volume 2

This edited volume presents recent advancements in genetic transformation and genome editing, offering a comprehensive understanding of their applications for creating more sustainable crops. These innovations are revolutionizing crop development, enhancing yields, and mitigating environmental challenges.

The demand for sustainable crop production, driven by a growing global population and mounting environmental challenges, has never been more pressing. Genetic transformation and genome editing techniques offer precise and targeted ways to enhance crop traits, increase yields, and reduce the need for chemical inputs. The book traces the evolution of these technologies, from the early days of genetic modification to the current era of CRISPR-based genome editing. It covers cutting-edge technologies, from CRISPR-Cas9 to advanced gene editing techniques, while discussing the current scenario and future prospects of GM crops developed either by transgenic or genome editing approaches. The book explores the ethical and regulatory aspects surrounding genetic transformation, providing a complete perspective on this evolving domain.

It is an essential read for researchers, students, and professionals in the fields of agriculture, plant sciences, biotechnology, agronomy, as well as policymakers.

Dr. Siddharth Tiwari is a Scientist-F at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, Punjab, India. He received his doctoral degree in 2008 from CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow, U.P., India. His area of specialization includes Plant Tissue Culture, Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering. During his doctoral research, Dr. Tiwari made significant contributions, including the development of a groundnut-seed-expressed edible vaccine against cholera and rabies, for which he received the BioAsia Innovation Young Scientist Award in 2010. Additionally, he developed insect-resistant transgenic groundnut against the polyphagous foliage insect Spodoptera litura, earning him the 97th Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) Young Scientist Award in 2010. He joined DBT-NABI in July 2010 and presently serving as a Scientist-F. Dr. Tiwari's research focuses on the metabolic engineering of staple crops like banana and wheat, utilizing transgenic and genome editing. He is the pioneer in banana genome editing and developed nutritionally enriched banana. He has published over 55 research articles, delivered over 100 invited lectures and supervised 7 Ph.D. students and over 60 graduate/post-graduate trainees in various disciplines of plant biotechnology. He has edited one book and was elected as a fellow of the prestigious Plant Tissue Culture Association of India.

Dr. Bhupendra Koul is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, India. During his Ph.D. at the Plant Transgenics Lab, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, he worked on the optimization, introduction, and expression of modified full-length and truncated versions of Bt-cry1Ab and 1Ac genes in tomato for developing non-chimeric and stable transgenic lines resistant to two lepidopteran insects (Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera litura) and evaluated the stability and efficacy of insecticidal toxin in transgenic plants. He has also optimized the regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) and has developed herbicide-resistant transgenic Stevia for effective weed-management in Stevia cultivation. He was awarded “CSIR-Senior Research Fellowship (SRF)” in the year 2013. He also has 10 years of teaching experience and received the “Teacher Appreciation Award 2016” from LPU in the Discipline of Biotechnology, through the MHRD Minister, Government of India. He has designed the full-length synthetic cry1Ac gene (GenBank: KP195020.1) and has published over 65 research papers in national and international journals as well as 21 book chapters and 4 books with Springer Nature. He has guided 3 Ph.D. students and trained 20 post-graduate students.