Current status of forestry
Applications of biotechnology in forestry and rural development
Forestry in India : Problems and prospects and the role of tissue culture

Applications of biotechnology in forestry and horticulture itself is divided into five sections. The first section covers the current status of forestry with a mix of papers presented by biotechnologist and researchers, ranging from those working is well-known scientific establishments to practitioners serves to provide the background against which the potential and likely directions of specific techniques and developments in biotechnology may be seen as sources of increased productivity and output. Section-2 presents a set of papers dealing with the applications of tissue culture in forestry and horticulture. This section provides by far the most extensive coverage of the subject published in recent literature, and contains contributions not only from experts in the developed countries but also from those working at the frontiers of this science in developing countries. Additionally, the coverage presents not only the work done in research and development units, but also describes the experiences of commercial organization that are involved in large scale tissue culture programs with a range of plant species. The section covers both techniques of tissue culture and their applications to tree improvement programs. Section 3 goes into some of the issues involved in scaling up tissue culture practices for application on a commercial scale. This section, therefore, deals with some of the engineering and process aspects of tissue culture techniques. It also explores the economic and commercial issues that need to be considered and analyzed in large scale production facilities. The experience of tissue culture of ornamental plants is also covered with a view to seeing the applicability of experiences gained with these species to tree species and horticultural plants. Section 4 concentrates on nitrogen fixation studies in forestry. This section has been included with the realization that in several tropical regions of the world, soil conditions require a vigorous and extensive program on leguminous species that are relevant not only because they would minimize inputs of fertilizers and nutrients to be provided generally at high cost, but also because in certain cases it is through the plantation of these species alone that soil improvements and restoration of degraded lands can be brought about