Sugarcane Biotechnology: Axenic Culture, Gene Transfer, and Transgene Expression

This chapter deals with the science that underpins sugarcane tissue culture and genetic transformation and their industrial applications. Factors affecting transgene expression and silencing in the complex sugarcane genome are becoming understood, as are factors affecting the genetic integrity of micropropagated and transformed plants. The chapter summarizes the key approaches and achievements in application of sugarcane tissue culture, and provides an overview of sugarcane tissue culture approaches, with an emphasis on those used for regeneration of intact plants via an axenic culture stage. The chapter also talks about methods of gene transfer other than pollination.