After decades of dominance of genetics and genomics, the importance of structural biology is growing exponentially in the field of plant biology. The main objectives of this new book series is to "demystify" structural biology for plant researchers and to provide important insights into the basic molecular mechanisms underlying plant development through the diverse approaches utilized by structural biologists. The book series starts with a theme dedicated to hormonal signaling that has benefited from the application of structural biology. "Plant Structural Biology: Hormonal Regulations" provides up-to-date knowledge of the structural aspects of hormonal signal recognition, signal transduction, hormonal control of downstream regulatory pathways and hormonal crosstalk. The most distinctive features of this book as well as future titles is/will be to provide overview of cutting-edge research in the field of plant structural biology, and to serve as a compendium of various approaches that could be applied to problems being solved in modern plant biology. Last but not least, we hope this book will facilitate and broaden the community of (not only) plant scientists who are interested in structural biology approaches and tools. For these reasons, the style of this series is concise and general, in order to avoiding unnecessary details. Explanatory boxes describing the basics of specific approaches (e.g. X-ray crystallography, NMR, SAXS, molecular dynamics simulations, etc.) are included.

Edited by Jean-Claude Kader and Michel Delseny and supported by an international Editorial Board, "Advances in Botanical Research" publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. Currently in its 50th volume, the series features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This eclectic volume features six reviews on cutting-edge topics of interest to postgraduates and researchers alike.
* Multidisciplinary reviews written from a broad range of scientific perspectives
* For over 40 years, series has enjoyed a reputation for excellence
* Contributors internationally recognized authorities in their respective fields

Arabidopsis Protocols, Third Edition compiles some of the most recent methodologies developed to exploit the Arabidopsis genome. These methodologies cover from the guided access to public resources, to genetic, cell biology, biochemical and physiological techniques, including both those that are widely used as well as those novel techniques likely to open up new avenues of knowledge in the future. In addition, considering the recent unparalleled progress of the "omics" tools in Arabidopsis, leading experts have contributed sections on genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome and other whole-system approaches. Arabidopsis thaliana is acknowledged as the most important plant model system by the scientific community and Arabidopsis research has fundamentally influenced our understanding of the basic biology and ecology of plants. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Arabidopsis Protocols, Third Edition seeks to serve both experienced researchers and beginners with its detailed methodologies on this burgeoning scientific field.

Edited by Jean-Claude Kader and Michel Delseny and supported by an international Editorial Board, "Advances in Botanical Research" publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences.The series features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This eclectic volume features reviews on cutting-edge topics of interest to postgraduates and researchers alike.
Publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences.
The series features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology.
Reviews cutting-edge topics of interest to postgraduates and researchers alike."

New Zealand, with its long isolation from other lands and latitudes extending from subtropical to sub Antarctic, has a unique flora and highly diverse vegetation. This book is a comprehensive description of that vegetation, ranging from its origins to the major communities within which the plants exist. The text, supported by over 300 photographs, maps and diagrams, has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the biology of these islands. This is a reprint of the volume originally published in 1991. Chapters 1 - 4 describe the New Zealand environment, flora and fauna. They discuss the origin, relationships, life forms and reproductive aspects of the indigenous vegetation. Chapter 5 is a synopsis of vegetation types, habitat classes and environmental processes; it also serves to define the terms that are described in the book. Chapter 6 contains an outline of the geographic divisions of the country. Chapters 7 - 9 offer expanded descriptions of plant communities, preceded, where appropriate, by information on their structure and characteristic species and genera. The concluding chapters discuss ecologic functions and processes. Vegetation of New Zealand is an essential book for botanists, ecologists, conservationists and others who love New Zealand's plants, animals and landscapes. There will also be a large audience outside New Zealand. Its natural vegetation is unique; because of this and the longevity of its evolutionary history, it has always attracted considerable global interest. "The breadth of scholarship displayed by Peter Wardle is impressive. The book as a whole is remarkably readable; testimony to that comes from this reviewer who read all 672 pages in one day and was still captivated at the end " Annals of Botany "A simple title and a great achievement. This is a great book and a major achievement by the author. It will be a source book for many years to come." Vegetation "This book is a magnificent successor to Cockayne's original Vegetation in New Zealand." Biological Conservation

This book describes various aspects of modern microbiology including microbial enzymes, secondary metabolites, next-generation sequencing, microbial-based biopesticides, microbial-based cancer therapies, biodiesel, and microbial products from fermentation, biodegradation, bioremediation and wastewater treatment. Further, it explains how and why microbes play an important role in preserving the welfare of living beings and the environment. Many bacteria play a significant part in cleaning our environment by detoxifying various xenobiotic compounds, while several microbes produce secondary metabolites that are useful to human beings. The book is divided into 15 chapters that cover various aspects of microorganism-based biotechnology, including recent methodologies such as advanced molecular techniques, as well developments in classical microbiological techniques. The authors also explain how the latest and classical techniques are being used in modern-day microbial biotechnology. All chapters were written by experts from prominent universities, research laboratories, and institutes around the globe. Above all, they focus on recent advances in microbial technology that promote the welfare of living beings and the environment.

Soil salinity is destroying several hectares of arable land every minute. Because remedial land management cannot completely solve the problem, salt tolerant crops or plant species able to remove excessive salt from the soil could contribute significantly to managing the salinity problem. The key to engineering crops for salt tolerance lies in a thorough understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the adaptive responses of plants to salinity. Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols describes recent advances and techniques employed by researchers to understand the molecular and ionic basis of salinity tolerance and to investigate the mechanisms of salt stress perception and signalling in plants. With chapters written by leading international scientists, this book covers nearly 30 different methods, such as microelectrode and molecular methods, imaging techniques, as well as various biochemical assays. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols serves as an essential read for every student or researcher tackling various aspects of the salinity problem.

A subgroup of homeobox genes, which play an important role in the developmental processes of a variety of multicellular organisms, Hox genes have been shown to play a critical role in vertebrate pattern formation. Hox genes can be thought of as general purpose control genes that is, they are similar in many organisms and direct the same processes in a variety of organisms, from mouse, to fly, to human.
* Provides researchers an overview and synthesis of the latest research findings and contemporary thought in the area.
* Inclusion of chapters that discuss the evolutionary development of a wide variety of organisms.
* Gives researchers and clinicians insight into how defective Hox genes trigger developmental abnormalities in embryos.

This two-volume book is a valuable resource to students, researchers, scientists, commercial producers, consultants and policymakers interested in agriculture or plant sciences particularly in date palm biotechnology. Date Palm Biotechnology Protocols, Volume 1: Tissue Culture and Applications is comprised of 27 chapters covering adventitious organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, contamination, hyperhydricity, acclimatization, cell suspension, protoplast and bioreactors, genetic transformation secondary metabolites, and abiotic stress. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Date Palm Biotechnology Protocols, Volume 1: Tissue Culture and Applications aims to supplement the previous volume and to provide precise stepwise protocols in the field of date palm biotechnology.

This book summarizes the latest information and the status quo of radish genome studies to stimulate innovations and improvements in breeding techniques and to promote further advances in the field. Radish (Raphanus sativus) is a member of the Brassicaceae family and is cultivated worldwide. Its varieties have been diversified in terms of size, shape, and the color of their roots and bio-components. Thanks to the development of high-throughput molecular techniques using next generation sequencers, complete genomes of cultivated and wild radish plants have been sequenced and published with annotations of predicted genes and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) information between radish cultivars and accessions. These, together with the construction of a high-density genetic map of radish and profiling of expression sequences in radish organs, have accelerated genetic studies, such as the identification of genes or loci associated with root development, pungent components, and plant disease resistance. Providing an overview of these advances, this book is a valuable resource for scientists involved in plant genetic research and crop breeding.

This is the first book to summarize all aspects of allergenic pollen: production, atmospheric distribution, and health impacts, as well as the means of monitoring and forecasting these phenomena. Based on a four-year effort by a large group of leading European scientists, this book highlights the new developments in research on allergenic pollen, including the modelling prospects and effects of climate change. The multidisciplinary team of authors offers insights into the latest technology of detection of pollen and its allergenic properties, forecasting methods, and the influence of allergenic pollen on the population. The comprehensive coverage in this book makes it an indispensible volume for anyone dealing with allergenic pollen worldwide. Readers involved in environmental health, aerobiology, medicine, and plant science will find this book of interest.

The aim of this manual is to provide a comprehensive guide to the methods involved in collecting, preparing and screening plants for bioactive properties for manipulating key ruminal fermentation pathways and against gastrointestinal pathogens. The manual will better equip the reader with methodological approaches to initiate screening programmes to test for bioactivity in native plants and find natural alternatives to chemicals for manipulating ruminal fermentation and gut health. The manual provides isotopic and non-isotopic techniques to efficiently screen plants or plant parts for a range of potential bioactives for livestock production. Each chapter has been contributed by experts in the field and methods have been presented in a format that is easily reproducible in the laboratory. It is hoped that this manual will be of great value to students, researchers and those involved in developing efficient and environmentally friendly livestock production systems."

This volume introduces databases containing the results from the recent revolution in sequencing technologies. Chapters in Plant Genomics Databases: Methods and Protocols describe database content, as well as typical use-cases. Some chapters explore databases that primarily present genome sequences focusing on one or a few related species, while others include additional datatypes and/or data from various plant species. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Plant Genomics Databases: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for providing clear guidance in accessing an important collection of plant databases that can be used to add biological value to genomic data.

Many fundamental discoveries concerning epigenetics and the elucidation of mechanisms of epigenetic regulation have developed from studies performed in plants. In Plant Epigenetics and Epigenomics: Methods and Protocols, leading scientists in the epigenetics field describe comprehensive techniques that have been developed to understand the plant epigenetic landscape. These include recently developed methods and techniques for analysis of epigenetically regulated traits, such as flowering time, transposon activation, genomic imprinting and genome dosage effects. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoidance of known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Epigenetics and Epigenomics: Methods and Protocols seek to aid scientists in the further study of plant epigenetic phenomena using advanced contemporary methods.

This comprehensive volume developed under the guidance of guest editors Prakash Lakshmanan and David Songstad features broad coverage of the topic of biofuels and its significance to the economy and to agriculture. These chapters were first published by In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology In Vitro Plant in 2009 and consists of 15 chapters from experts who are recognized both for their scientific accomplishments and global perspective in their assigned topics.

This book explores the role of in silico deployment in connection with modulation techniques for improving sustainability and competitiveness in the agri-food sector; pharmacokinetics and molecular docking studies of plant-derived natural compounds; and their potential anti-neurodegenerative activity. It also investigates biochemical pathways for bacterial metabolite synthesis, fungal diversity and plant-fungi interaction in plant diseases, methods for predicting disease-resistant candidate genes in plants, and genes-to-metabolites and metabolites-to-genes approaches for predicting biosynthetic pathways in microbes for natural product discovery. The respective chapters elaborate on the use of in situ methods to study biochemical pathways for bacterial metabolite synthesis; tools for plant metabolites in defence; plant secondary metabolites in defence; plant growth metabolites; characterisation of plant metabolites; and identification of plant derived metabolites in the context of plant defence. The book offers an unprecedented resource, highlighting state-of-the-art research work that will greatly benefit researchers and students alike, not only in the field of agriculture but also in many disciplines in the life sciences and plant sciences.

Plants form mutualistic association with various microorganisms, particularly in the rhizosphere region. The association benefits both the partners in a number of ways. A single plant can support the growth of diverse microbes and in reciprocation these microbes help the plant in several ways. A great deal of knowledge is now available on the mechanisms of action of plant growth promoting microbes in forming association with their partner plant and benefitting it. With ever increasing population and to achieve food security it has become utmost necessary to utilize these friendly microbes to enhance the crop yield and quality in an ecofriendly and sustainable manner. We already know about the huge negative impact of chemicals used in agriculture on the humans and the ecosystems as whole. 'Plant Microbes Symbiosis - Applied Facets' provides a comprehensive knowledge on practical, functional and purposeful utility of plant-microbe interactions. The book reviews the utilization of beneficial microbes for crop yield enhancement and protection against diseases caused by phytopathogens and nutrient deficiencies. The tome also reviews the utility of plant growth promoting microbes in helping the plants to deal with abiotic stresses imposed by climate change and anthropogenic activities. The book showcases how plant-microbe interactions are or can be utilized for reclamation of stressed soils and degradation of pollutants in a most effective and environment friendly manner. It also ascertains the reasons for the below par performance of the microbial based inoculants. The utilization of biotechnological tools for development of next generation bioformulations to combat the new challenges and overcome past hurdles has been discussed. This wonderful association between plants and microbes if used properly will not only enhance the crop yields and reclaim barren lands but also make our planet a better place to live on for all of its habitants.

Properties of chemical compounds and their mixtures are needed in almost every aspect of process and product design. When the use of experimental data is not possible, one of the most widely used options in the use of property estimation models.
Computer Aided Property Estimation for Process and Product Design provides a presentation of the most suitable property estimation models available today as well as guidelines on how to select an appropriate model. Problems that users are faced with, such as: which models to use and what their accuracy is, are addressed using a systematical approach to property estimation.
The volume includes contributions from leading experts from academia and industry. A wide spectrum of properties and phase equilibria types is covered, making it indispensable for research, development and educational purposes.
* This book presents the latest developments in computational modelling for thermodynamic property estimation.
* It combines theory with practice and includes illustrative examples of software applications.
* The questions users of property models are faced with are addressed comprehensively.

The field of redox is rapidly changing, specifically in relation toplants whereredox reactions are exacerbated compared to non-photosynthetic organisms. The development of proteomics has allowed the identification of hundreds of molecular targets of these systems, andthe recent discovery of glutaredoxin's ability to bind iron sulfur centers (ISCs) and to participate in ISC assembly in other apoproteins has provided many new insights. This volume presents new research on oxidative stress in plants, ranging from the production of reactive oxygen species or reactive nitrogen species, to their accumulation, their involvement in signal transduction, and their degradation, while also covering the links among oxidative stress and biotic and abiotic stresses.

* Cutting-edge reviews written from a broad range of scientific perspectives * For over 40 years, series has enjoyed a reputation for excellence * Contributors internationally recognized authorities in their respective fields"