The study of the growth and development of embryos is not simply a field of academic interest, but one which is of vital importance to those involved in improving plant yields and food production in general. Experimental investigations in this area have greatly incrased in the last ten years and the present book reflects the results that habe been obtained. Research has been diversely concentrated on the physiology, biochemistry and morphology of plant embryos and this is the first work to draw together these various facets of study under one cover. The book also deals in depth with the modern methods of tissue culture which habe enormously increased the body of knowledge on embryogenesis. The book opens with a section that traces the development of the embryo from its unicellular beginnings and discusses its structure, nutrition, biochemistry, morphology and physiology. The results obrained from embryo culture are reviewed at this stage and notably those regarding the relationships between the structure and function of the embryos. The two following sections are concerned respectively with adventive embryogenesis and the alternatives that exist for a developed seed - namely, to remain dormant or to germinate. Numerous line drawings and half tones are used throughout to elucidate the text and are a striking feature of the work. Developmental botanists should be particularly interested in this book, as too should agronomists, foresters, horticulturists and plant physiologists who wish to increase their knowledge of plant embryogenesis, whether for practical application or experimental study. It could also serve as an undergraduate text for any course focussing on plant embryogenesis.
