Until recently, plant breeders have depended primarily on classical tools to develop new and improved products for producers and consumers. However, with the advent of biotechnology, breeders are increasingly incorporating molecular tools in their breeding work. In recognition of the current state of methods and their application, this text introduces both classical and molecular tools for plant breeding. Topics such as biotechnology in plant breeding, intellectual property, risks, emerging concepts (decentralized breeding, organic breeding), and more are addressed in this state of the art text. The final 8 chapters provide a useful reference on breeding the largest and most common crops. In addition, over 25 plant breeders share their professional experiences while illustrating concepts in the text.Features include:Comprehensive presentation of both classical and molecular plant breeding toolsIndustry highlight essays from over 25 professional plant breedersChapter introductions, summaries and discussion questionsEasy reference glossaryReference chapters on breeding 8 of the largest and most common cropsArtwork from the book is available to instructors online at www.blackwellpublishing.com/acquaah. An Instructor manual CD-ROM for this title is available. Please contact our Higher Education team at HigherEducation@wiley.com for more information.