Model plants are required for research when targeted plant species are difficult to study or when research material is unavailable. Importantly, knowledge gained from model plants can be generally translated to other related plant species because many key cellular and molecular processes are conserved and regulated by 'blueprint' genes inherited from a common ancestor. Model Organisms in Plant Genetics addresses characteristics of model plants such as Arabidopsis, moss, soybean, maize, and cotton, highlighting their advantages and limitations as well as their importance in studies of plant development, plant genome polyploidization, adaptive selection, evolution, and domestication, as well as their importance in crop improvement.