This fourth volume on "In Vitro Haploid Production in Higher Plants" comprises 11 chapters on cereal haploid production. All chapters are crop specific and each chapter contains an introduction about the selected plant, the techniques (anther culture, microspore culture, ovary/ovule culture) that have been successfully used for haploid production, the factors that have influenced the success of these techniques, the identification and genetic characterization of haploid regenerants, the application of haploids in breeding, and a brief conclusion on the potential of haploid breeding in the specific crop. The chapters contained review haploidy in cereal crops including rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), triticale, ryegrass (Lolium spp.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), rye (Secale cereale) and oat (Avena sativa). Some chapters also include a discussion of the potential of protoplast manipulations and genetic transformation of the particular crop under discussion.