By Detlef Weigel, Salk Institute Plant Biology Laboratory and Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology; Jane Glazebrook, Torrey Mesa Research Institute, Inc.
The thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana is increasingly popular among plant scientists: it is small, easy to grow, and makes flowers, and the sequence of its small and simple genome was recently completed. This is the most complete and authoritative laboratory manual to be published on this model organism and the first to deal with genomic and proteomic approaches to its biology.
Reviews
review: "A considerable merit of Arabidopsis: A Laboratory Manual is the superb way in which the material is organized and the concomitant internal structural consistency. To a large extent, the order of and within chapters anticipates the order of questions a novice would encounter when trying to set up genetic experiments using Arabidopsis. This makes the book particularly user friendly and easy to follow. This achievement is far from trivial because many laboratory manuals unfortunately end up being little more than a collection of disparate mismash of protocols . . .
In conclusion, one of the greatest merits of Arabidopsis: A Laboratory Manual lies in its completeness and reliability. This book is highly recommended for any Arabidopsis researcher at any level of their career. . . . [It] will be the definitive starting point for scientists wishing to move into the Arabidopsis field, especially in areas of the world where financial constraints make research in biology difficult."
—Trends in Plant Science
review: "In Arabidopsis: A Laboratory Manual, Weigel and Glazebrook provide a well set out and up to date guide to techniques for molecular, genetic and phenotypic analysis. Although some of the techniques, such as transformation by floral dipping, are specific for Arabidopsis, many are broadly applicable for work on many other plant species. . . . I have found it both extremely useful and very elusive, a result of many people removing it from my office and a clear indication that the manual is portable and valuable. . . . The protocols are described in sufficient detail that they are feasible for the inexperienced. Many of the protocols have been developed from a regular summer practical course held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which is a good sign as it means they were developed by people with expertise in a particular areas, and have proved reliable and robust."
—Genetical Research
