<mods:mods version="3.3" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-3.xsd" xmlns:mods="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><mods:titleInfo><mods:title>Program for the application of genetic transformation for crop improvement in the semi-arid tropics</mods:title></mods:titleInfo><mods:name type="personal"><mods:namePart type="given">K K</mods:namePart><mods:namePart type="family">Sharma</mods:namePart><mods:role><mods:roleTerm type="text">author</mods:roleTerm></mods:role></mods:name><mods:name type="personal"><mods:namePart type="given">R</mods:namePart><mods:namePart type="family">Ortiz</mods:namePart><mods:role><mods:roleTerm type="text">author</mods:roleTerm></mods:role></mods:name><mods:abstract>The semi-arid tropics are characterized by unpredictable weather, limited and erratic rainfall and nutrient-poor soils&#13;
and suffer from a host of agricultural constraints. Several diseases, insect pests and drought affect crop productivity.&#13;
Developing stress-resistant crops has been a worthwhile activity of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-&#13;
Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Mandated crops of ICRISAT, including groundnut, pigeonpea, chickpea, sorghum and pearl&#13;
millet, are the main staple foods for nearly one billion people in the semi-arid tropics. Genetic transformation provides a&#13;
complementary means for the genetic betterment of the genome of these crops. Judicious application of biotechnological&#13;
tools holds great potential for alleviating some of the major constraints to productivity of these crops in the agricultural&#13;
systems of the semi-arid tropics. This article reviews plant genetic engineering in relation to its applications in genetic&#13;
enhancement and the improvement of important crops of the semi-arid tropics. For the benefit of nonbiotechnologists, a&#13;
brief review of technical aspects of plant genetic engineering is also included.</mods:abstract><mods:classification authority="lcc">Genetics and Genomics</mods:classification><mods:originInfo><mods:dateIssued encoding="iso8061">2000</mods:dateIssued></mods:originInfo><mods:originInfo><mods:publisher>Springer</mods:publisher></mods:originInfo><mods:genre>Article</mods:genre></mods:mods>