Plant Cell and Tissue Differentiation and Secondary Metabolites

This reference work provides a comprehensive review of cell and tissue differentiation and its role in the formation of specific secondary metabolites. Divided into five sections, this book covers the main cellular processes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Chapters from expert contributors offer specific case studies of cell and tissue differentiation, examines secondary metabolites in shoot and root cultures, and present new scientific insights and original technologies with applications in medicinal plants and in plant biotechnology.

Students, scholars and researchers with an interest in the fields of botany, agriculture, pharmacy, biotechnology and phytochemistry will find this book an important account. This book will also engage professionals working in plant-based industry.

Professor Dr. Kishan G. Ramawat is a former professor and head of the Botany Department, M.L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur, India, with long-standing research experience. He received his Ph.D. in plant biotechnology in 1978 from the University of Jodhpur, India, and afterwards joined the university as a faculty member. In 1991, he moved to M.L. Sukhadia University in Udaipur as associate professor and became professor in 2001. Prof. Ramawat served as head of the Department of Botany (2001–2004, 2010–2012), was in charge of the Department of Biotechnology (2003–2004), was a member of the task force on medicinal and aromatic plants in the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi (2002–2005), and coordinated UGC-DRS and DST-FIST programs (2002–2012). Prof. Ramawat had completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Tours, France, from 1983 to 1985, and later returned to Tours as visiting professor (1991). He also visited the University of Bordeaux2, France, several times as visiting professor (1995, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2010), and in 2005, he visited Poland for an academic exchange program (2005). Through these visits in France, Prof. Ramawat and Prof. Mérillon established a strong connection, which has resulted in productive collaborations and several book and reference work publications. Prof. Ramawat has published more than 170 well-cited peer-reviewed papers and articles and has edited several books and reference works on topics such as the biotechnology of medicinal plants, secondary metabolites, bioactive molecules, herbal drugs, and many other topics. His research was funded by several funding agencies. In his research group, Prof. Ramawat has supervised doctoral thesis of 25 students. He is an active member of several academic bodies, associations, and editorial boards of journals.

Professor Dr. Halina M. Ekiert since 2015 is the head of chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, PharmaceuticalFaculty, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków (Poland). Her scientific career was associated first with the Pharmaceutical Faculty at the Medical Academy in Kraków (Poland) and after reorganization (since 1993) with the Pharmaceutical Faculty at the Medical College at Jagiellonian University. In the years 1999–2014, she was acting head of chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany. Her areas of scientific interest are associated mainly with pharmaceutical sciences with strong background in plant biotechnology, phytochemistry, analysis of natural products, and biological activity of plant secondary metabolites. Her biotechnological interests include medicinal and/or cosmetic plant in vitro cultures, endogenic production of bioactive plant secondary metabolites, and biotransformations of exogenic substrates in in vitro cultures. Coumarins, phenolic acids, flavonoids, schisandra lignans, phenylpropanoid glycosides, iridoids, catechins, and arbutin are the special objects ofher interest. Throughout her career, Prof. Ekiert received a few postdoctoral internships at German Universities (Bonn – 1998, Würzburg – 1998, Marburg am Lahn – 2000, two trainings). The trainings in Bonn and in Marburg were supported by DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service. Her scientific achievements include approximately more than 120 published articles with total number of citation of approximately 1040 and H-index of 20 (according to Web of Science), few book chapters (published by Springer, Science Publisher, and Studium Press), and the role of co-editor and/or editor at Springer and also guest editor in the MDPI journal – Molecules.

Prof. Ekiert cooperated with Würzburg University, and currently she cooperates with Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany) and with the University of Messina (Sicily, Italy). She is an academic teacher with extensive and broad experience in pharmaceutical botany, plant biotechnology, and phytochemistry. She has guided Ph.D. students and candidates for habilitation in the field of plant biotechnology.

Dr. Shaily Goyal is currently affiliated with West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, USA. She is actively working on pm2.5 and other aeroallergens. She had her Ph.D. in plant biotechnology. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2008 from Mohanlal Sukhadia University (India), she worked as research associate in the Laboratory of Biomolecular Technology, Department of Botany, M.L. Sukhadia University, and also as a teaching assistant of biology, botany, and biotechnology-related courses. Dr. Goyal has been collaborating with Prof. Ramawat since 2005 and has published several book chapters and research articles in peer-reviewed journals. She also co-authored two textbooks for graduate and postgraduate students.