Hairy roots are plant roots that have been genetically transformed and can be cultured on a large scale. They can replace the whole plant in many research projects, and offer a range of technical advantages over plant cell cultures. Hairy roots are now used in studies of plant secondary metabolism and its genetic manipulation, as hosts for the production of foreign proteins, for plant propagation in agriculture, in environmental research, and for the development of new engineering technology for large-scale production of plant chemicals. Hairy root culture is an interdisciplinary science, with important and expansive applications. This volume is the first to be dedicated solely to the many facets of hairy root culture. The number of papers dedicated to hairy roots is rising exponentially, and with the increasing amount of research already underway this forms a timely publication. It is written and edited by acknowledged experts in the areas of hairy root culture and product synthesis, plant propagation, bio-processing and environmental aspects of hairyroots.