The importance of haploids is well known to geneticists and plant breeders. The discovery of anther-derived haploid Datura plants in 1964 initiated great excitement in the plant breeding and genetics communities as it offered shortcuts in producing highly desirable homozygous plants. Unfortunately, the expected revolution was slow to materialise due to problems in extending methods to other species, including genotypic dependence, recalcitrance, slow development of tissue culture technologies and a lack of knowledge of the underlying processes. Recent years have witnessed great strides in the research and application of haploids in higher plants. After a lull in activities, drivers for the resurgence have been: (1) development of effective tissue culture protocols, (2) identification of genes c- trolling embryogenesis, and (3) large scale and wide spread commercial up-take in plant breeding and plant biotechnology arenas. The first major international symposium on “Haploids in Higher Plants” took place in Guelph, Canada in 1974. At that time there was much excitement about the potential benefits, but in his opening address Sir Ralph Riley offered the following words of caution: “I believe that it is quite likely that haploid research will contr- ute cultivars to agriculture in several crops in the future. However, the more extreme claims of the enthusiasts for haploid breeding must be treated with proper caution. Plant breeding is subject from time to time to sweeping claims from ent- siastic proponents of new procedures.

Progress in Doubled Haploid Technology in Higher Plants.- Doubled Haploids via Gynogenesis.- Overview of Barley Doubled Haploid Production.- Production of Doubled Haploids in Brassica.- An Overview on Tobacco Doubled Haploids.- An Overview of Triticale Doubled Haploids.- Patents and Haploid Plants.- Gene Expression Profiling of Microspore Embryogenesis in Brassica napus.- Expression Profiles in Barley Microspore Embryogenesis.- Proteomics in Rapeseed Microspore Embryogenesis.- Programmed Cell Death and Microspore Embryogenesis.- Albinism in Microspore Culture.- Doubled Haploids in Breeding Winter Oilseed Rape.- Anther Culture Derived Doubled Haploids in Oat.- Barley and Wheat Doubled Haploids in Breeding.- Rice Doubled Haploids and Breeding.- Potato Haploids and Breeding.- Current Status of Doubled Haploids in Medicinal Plants.- Microspore Embryogenesis in Selected Medicinal and Ornamental Species of the Asteraceae.- Carrot Doubled Haploids.- Haploids and Doubled Haploids in Fruit Trees.- Haploidy in Tef.- A Novel and Reversible Male Sterility System Using Targeted Inactivation of Glutamine Synthetase and Doubled Haploidy.- Embryogenic Pollen Culture: A Promising Target for Genetic Transformation.- Immature Pollen as a Target for Gene Targeting.- Induction of Semi-Dwarf, Salt Tolerant Rice Mutants from a Tall Salt Tolerant Indica Landrace.- Chromosome Doubling in Monocots.- Tracking Gene and Protein Expression During Microspore Embryogenesis by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.

The importance of haploids is well known to geneticists and plant breeders. The discovery of anther-derived haploid Datura plants in 1964 initiated great excitement in the plant breeding and genetics communities as it offered shortcuts in producing highly desirable homozygous plants. Unfortunately, the expected revolution was slow to materialise due to problems in extending methods to other species, including genotypic dependence, recalcitrance, slow development of tissue culture technologies and a lack of knowledge of the underlying processes. Recent years have witnessed great strides in the research and application of haploids in higher plants. After a lull in activities, drivers for the resurgence have been: (1) development of effective tissue culture protocols, (2) identification of genes c- trolling embryogenesis, and (3) large scale and wide spread commercial up-take in plant breeding and plant biotechnology arenas. The first major international symposium on “Haploids in Higher Plants” took place in Guelph, Canada in 1974. At that time there was much excitement about the potential benefits, but in his opening address Sir Ralph Riley offered the following words of caution: “I believe that it is quite likely that haploid research will contr- ute cultivars to agriculture in several crops in the future. However, the more extreme claims of the enthusiasts for haploid breeding must be treated with proper caution. Plant breeding is subject from time to time to sweeping claims from ent- siastic proponents of new procedures.