We have taught plant molecular biology and biotechnology at the undergraduate and
graduate level for over 20 years. In the past few decades, the field of plant organelle
molecular biology and biotechnology has made immense strides. From the green revolution
to golden rice, plant organelles have revolutionized agriculture. Given the exponential
growth in research, the problem of finding appropriate textbooks for courses in plant
biotechnology and molecular biology has become a major challenge. After years of
handing out photocopies of various journal articles and reviews scattered through out the
print and electronic media, a serendipitous meeting occurred at the 2002 IATPC World
Congress held in Orlando, Florida.