Biotechnology is the manipulation of biological organisms to make products that benefit human beings. Biotechnology contributes to such diverse areas as food production, waste disposal, mining, and medicine. Although biotechnology has existed since ancient times, some of its most dramatic advances have come in more recent years. Modern achievements include the transfer of a specific gene from one organism to another (by means of a set of genetic engineering techniques known as transgenics); the maintenance and growth of genetically uniform plant- and animal-cell cultures, called clones; and the fusing of different types of cells to produce beneficial medical products such as monoclonal antibodies, which are designed to attack a specific type of foreign substance.

Biotechnology in the broad sense, however, involves the cloners, the hybridizers, and the molecular and cell biologists. It involves the conjoint interaction of two identifiable sub-components; bioScience and bioTechnology.

Plant biotechnology is the application of knowledge obtained from study of the life sciences to create technological improvements in plant species. Keeping this definition, we have prepared the text of the book.