Plant biotechnology has made significant strides in thc past 15 years encompassing within its fold the spectaculardevelo~ents in plant molecular biology and genetic engineering. someofthe most vexing oroblems faced in anricultural ecosvstems could bc solved with the introduction of transgenic crops -endowed with traits for insect pest resistance, herbicide tolerance and resistance to viral diseascs. Attention is now being focussed on the development oftransgenic plants having industrial,

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... c, pharmaceutical. nutritional and environmental importance. In the next millennium, crops wjll scrve as factories for the synthesis of valuable metabolites and organic compounds. Agronomically important characters, such as drought tolerance, efficiency in photosynthesis, nutrient use and nitrogen fixation will bc manipulatcd in the next century to enhance the genetic and physiological potential of the crops. Rcccnt developments in the genome sequencing of Arabidopsis, ricc and maize will have far reaching implications for future a$rlcuiure. ~t r u c k r a l nndfunctlonal ~c n o m~c s of plant species all1 \ ~rruall) re\dutionlse the cumplcx~on of aer~cultural blotechnslosr as well 3s human health care I t I S Impcrat!\r. that the dc\cloplnp. uorld adopts these fast-changing~~chnologics soon and harness their unprecedented potential for ihc6cncfit of the mankind.