Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has become important in rice farming systems because this process diminishes the need for expensive chemical fertilizers which have been associated with numerous health and environmental problems. The extensive exploitation of BNF would provide economic benefits to small farmers, avoiding all malign influences of chemical fertilizers. Meanwhile, advances in biotechnology have brought rice genetics to the threshold of new opportunities for increasing rice production. This volume focuses, in six different sessions, on the role of BNF in the improvement of rice production in the light of the current state of the art of BNF technology transfer and diffusion. New ideas on BNF technology in research, extension information and inoculant technology are also included, together with the socio-economic impacts of using BNF in rice farm systems.

The 44th volume of RAP contains articles based on work presented at the 51st annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America. They were selected to showcase exciting examples of current research in plant chemistry, to highlight the diversity in this field spanning analytical chemistry, ethnobotany, biosynthesis, bioactivity, chemical ecology and biotechnology. Specifically, the perspectives paper by Zerbe and Bohlmann summarizes recent findings on the genes and enzymes involved in conifer resin biosynthesis, while papers by Timoshenko et al. and Guerrero-Analco et al. highlight progress on toxic lectins and bioactive phytochemicals from Canadian forest plants used by Aboriginals, respectively. Next the contribution by Glover and Murch compares methods used to analyze dementia agents in foodstuffs of Pacific Islands. Two papers by Lisko et al and Berhow et al. both summarize recent findings on the engineering of vitamin C contents of plants and of phytochemicals in the emerging oil crop Camelina. Finally, Cook et al discuss the biosynthesis in plant endophytes of alkaloids which have implications for cattle feeding. Overall, these seven Perspectives and Communications give a very good picture of the state of plant (bio) chemistry research in North America, which is also indicative of the state of the field worldwide.

This book, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants IX, like the previous eight volumes published in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1995, is unique in its approach. It comprises twenty-four chapters dealing with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Agave, Anthemis, Aralia, Blackstonia, Catha, Catharanthus, Cephalocereus, Clerodendron, Coronilla, Gloeophyllum, Liquidambar, Marchantia, Mentha, Onosma, Paeonia, Parthenium, Petunia, Phyllanthus, Populus, Portulaca, Sandersonia, Serratula, Scoparia, and Thapsia. It is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biochemical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences.
The present volume includes reviews on genetics, cell biology, physiology, comparative morphology, systematics, ecology, and vegetation science.

Plant conservation is increasingly recognised as an outstanding global priority, yet despite considerable efforts over the last few decades, the number of threatened species continues to rise. The practice of plant conservation has for too long been a rather hit-or-miss mixture of methods. While microorganisms have been recognised as a crucial and essential element in supporting the lifecycles of plant species, there has been limited recognition of the relationships between macro level conservation facilitating ecosystem functioning at the micro level.

This book addresses the role of microorganisms in conservation - both their support functions and deleterious roles in ecosystem processes and species survival. Importantly, a number of authors highlight how microbial diversity is, itself, now under threat from the many and pervasive influences of man. What is clear from this volume is that like many contemporary treatments of plant and animal conservation, the solution to mitigate the erosion of biodiversity is not simple. This book represents an attempt to bring to the fore the ecological underwriting provided by microorganisms.

This series ofbooks on the biotechnology of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants provides a survey of the literature focusing on recent information and the state of the art in tissue culture and the in vitro production of secondary metabolites. This book, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants VIII, like the previous seven volumes published in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1994, is unique in its approach. It comprises 26 chapters dealing with the distribution, importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies and the in vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Achillea, Anethum, Aquilaria, Arnica, Aspergillus, Astragalus, Catalpa, Chelidonium, Eremo phila, Eucalyptus, Eucommia, Geranium, Heterocentron, Hypericum, Maclura, Morinda, Mortierella, Nicotiana, Phaseolus, Pinellia, Piqueria, Psorales, Rhodiola, Sanguisorba, Valeriana, and Vancouveria. This book is tailored to the needs of advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of pharmacy, plant tissue culture, phytochemistry, biochemical engineering, and plant biotechnology in general. New Delhi, July 1995 Professor Y. P. S. BAJAJ Series Editor Contents I Achillea millefolium L. ssp. millefolium (Yarrow): In Vitro Culture and Production of Essential Oils A. C. FIGUEIREDO, M. S. S. PAIS, and J. J. c. SCHEFFER (With 9 Figures) 1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 In Vitro Culture Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 Ultrastructural Study of the Glandular Trichomes and Cell Suspension Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4 Composition of the Essential Oils of A. millefolium In Vivo and In Vitro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 Summary and Conc1usion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6 Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 II Anethum graveolens L."

Our intention with this book was to present the reader with the most accurate, significant, and up-to-date background and knowledge in the areas of ethnomedicinal and nutraceutical vegetation for the Lesser Himalayas in a comprehensive text. Wild Edible Vegetables of Lesser Himalayas provides a complete review of over 50 important plants of this region and details each species including photographs, botanical name, local name, family, flowering and fruiting period, status and habitat, parts used, distribution, ethnobotanical uses, cultural aspects, medicinal uses, and nutraceutical aspects. Medicinal uses include mode of preparation, method of application and diseases studied; cultural aspects and index; nutraceutical data provides analysis of fats, proteins, fibers, carbohydrates, ash, moisture content, dry matter, and energy value; elemental analysis includes various essential and toxic metals; phytochemical screening includes total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols and ascorbic acid, and antioxidant potential in terms of DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, H2O2 scavenging activity, Fe2+ chelating activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and phosphomolybdenum assay for each species. Wild Edible Vegetables of Lesser Himalayas is a concise and handy guide for scientists, scholars, and students interested in the study of agriculture, food science, nutraceutical science, bioscience, biodiversity, applied ethnobotany, ethnoecology, and ecology.

Spontaneous self-cloning or clonality is a widespread phenomenon in the plant kingdom, and has a wide array of ecological and evolutionary implications. This volume is the outcome of an international workshop on clonal plant biology aimed at illustrating current progress and recent developments in the scientific study of clonality in plants. The first section of this book includes a collection of original research articles which demonstrate the wide variety of approaches and scientific challenges linked to clonality in plants. The topics covered in this section include ecological and evolutionary implications of sexual versus asexual propagation, including life-history evolution and sex-ratio dynamics, the importance of internal resource transport and remobilization of storage products for the invasiveness and competitiveness of clonal plants, a survey of clonal growth forms in grassland communities, and studies on the interactions between clonal plants and animals and fungi. The approaches used range from experimental studies on a broad variety of systems to mathematical modeling of clonal growth and its consequences. The second part features discussion and review papers on a diverse array of subjects, ranging from developmental considerations of clonality, principles of selection and evolution in clonal plants, a survey of clonality in algae, to potential implications of clonality for plant mating, and beyond. This part of the volume aims at presenting novel ideas and hypotheses, and at summarizing existing knowledge in previously under-researched areas, thereby providing directions for future research initiatives.

This book captures ongoing cutting-edge research in the field of clonal plant ecology and evolution. It is directed to anyone from the undergraduate to specialist level who is interested in the biology of the intriguing phenomenon of asexual propagation in plants.

This proceedings volume contains the invited and a selection of the contributed papers of the 8th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants, which was held at Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia from November 22-27, 2010. Content of the volume shows that the understanding of sulfur metabolism in plants and the interaction of the environment are rapidly progressing.

This volume covers various aspects of the regulation of sulfate uptake and assimilation in plants, from a cellular to a whole plant level, and additionally emphasizes interactions with other minerals. Moreover the significance of sulfur metabolism in biotic and abiotic stress responses, in food security and quality, and in relation to interactions with global change factors is discussed in detail.

This book systematically explains the application principles and green processing technologies of industrial oil plant. Firstly, the industrial plant oil resources are elaborated as an independent discipline for systematic research. Secondly, it has laid a solid theoretical foundation for the utilization of industrial plant oil resources, and will greatly promote the development of industrialization and modernization of industrial plant oil resources worldwide. Thirdly, it constructs integrated technology system of oil plant cultivation, oil extraction technology and products application. Finally, it elaborates a series of environmental issues including the protection of biodiversity and the balance of the forest ecology during the industrial plant oil resources processing. The technological process for green conversion of industrial plant oil resources to the oil-based materials and high value products will be of particular interest to the readers among oil researchers, producers and managers.

Plant Cold Acclimation: Methods and Protocols details many of the methods and protocols commonly used to study plant cold acclimation and freezing tolerance, breeding, genetics, physiology or molecular biology, or any combination of these specialties. Chapters focus on interdisciplinary approaches, experimental methods, and concepts from different areas of science. 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 avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Cold Acclimation: Methods and Protocols seeks to help not only new researchers starting in this field, but also those already working in a particular area of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance research who are looking to expand their range of experimental approaches.

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is an important horticultural plant in the sericulture industry. It belongs to the family Moraceae. The leaf of mulberry is used to feed the silkworm Bombyx mori L. It is also used as a fodder. Due to its economic and agricultural importance, mulberry is cultivated in many parts of the world. An estimated 60% of the total cost of silk cocoon production is for production and maintenance of mulberry plants. Therefore, much attention is needed to improve the quality and quantity of mulberry leaves. It is vital to increase the production of superior quality mulberry leaves with high nutritive value for the sericulture industry. Although a lot of research is going on in mulberry, very little effort has been made to compile the results of this research in a single book. This book provides an update of recent research works going on in this plant. It describes the taxonomy, conservation of germplasm, genetic diversity of various mulberry species, application of breeding techniques to improve the quality of mulberry, in vitro conservation, application of tissue culture techniques to improve mulberry species, production of haploids and triploids in mulberry and improvement of abiotic stress adaptive traits in mulberry with relevance to adaptiveness to global warming.

Coffee Biotechnology and Quality is a comprehensive volume containing 45 specialised chapters by internationally recognised experts. The book aims to provide a guide for those wishing to learn about recent advances in coffee cultivation and post-harvest technology. It provides a quantitative and rational approach to the major areas of coffee research, including breeding and cloning, tissue culture and genetics, pest control, post-harvest technology and bioconversion of coffee industry residues into commercially valuable products. The chapters review recent experimental work, allowing a conceptual framework for future research to be identified and developed. The book will be of interest to researchers and students involved in any area of coffee research. Consequently, plant breeders, microbiologists, biotechnologists and biochemical engineers will find the book to be a unique and invaluable guide.

Recombinant Proteins from Plants is one of the most exciting and fastest developing areas in biology. The latest molecular techniques are being applied to the exploitation of plants as novel expression systems for the p- duction and overproduction of heterologous and native proteins. Transgenic plant technology is currently used in three broad areas: the expression of - combinant proteins to improve crop quality by increasing disease/pest res- tance or increasing tolerance to stress, optimizing plant productivity and yield by the genetic manipulation of metabolic pathways, and the large-scale co- effective production of recombinant proteins for use as specialist industrial or therapeutic biomolecules. The intention of Recombinant Proteins from Plants is to provide c- prehensive and detailed protocols covering all the latest molecular approaches. Because the production oftransgenic plants has become routine in many la- ratories, coverage is also given to some of the more "classical" approaches to the separation, analysis, and characterization of recombinant proteins. The book also includes areas of research that we believe will become increasingly important in the near future: efficient transformation of monocots with Agrobacterium optimizing the stability of recombinant proteins, and a section highlighting the immunotherapeutic potential of plant-expressed proteins.

This volume explores modern concepts of trophic and guild interactions among natural enemies in natural and agricultural ecosystems - a field that has become a hot topic in ecology and biological control over the past decade. Internationally recognized scientists have combined their expertise and passion to examine how species interactions between biological control agents, such as competition, predation, parasitism, disease infection, mutualism, and omnivory affect arthropod population dynamics and the outcome of biological control. The common approach is the use of ecological theory to better interpret the prevalence, nature and outcome of trophic and guild interactions and, from a more applied perspective, to gain a comprehensive understanding of how and when to use biological control.

"Advanced Techniques in Soil Microbiology" presents a wide range of biotechnological methods for application in soil microbiology analysis. These include all essential methods involving molecular biology, immunology, microbiology, and structural biology, such as transcriptome analysis, RNAi technology, molecular matchmaking, RAPD, T-RFLP and FT/MS.

The techniques and procedures have been selected with the aim of offering practical guides for immediate use in the laboratory. The systems investigated range from individual molecules and cells to entire eukaryotic organisms, with a focus on bacteria, fungi, mycorrhiza, and higher plants. This volume of state-of-the-art, practice oriented methods will be of great use both to the first-timer and to the experienced scientist.

Cyanobacterial symbioses are no longer regarded as mere oddities but as important components of the biosphere, occurring both in terrestrial and aquatic habitats worldwide. It is becoming apparent that they can enter into symbiosis with a wider variety of organisms than hitherto known, and there are many more still to be discovered, particularly in marine environments. The chapters cover cyanobacterial symbioses with plants (algae, bryophytes, Azolla, cycads, Gunnera), cyanobacterial symbioses in marine environments, lichens, Nostoc-Geosiphon (a fungus closely related to arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi) symbiosis, and artificial associations of cyanobacteria with economically important plants. In addition, cyanobiont diversity, sensing-signalling, and evolutionary aspects of the symbiosis are dealt with. Renowned experts actively involved in research on cyanobacterial symbioses deal with ecological, physiological, biochemical, molecular, and applied aspects of all known cyanobacterial symbioses.
This volume on cyanobacteria in symbiosis complements the two earlier volumes on cyanobacteria published by Kluwer (Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria, edited by D.A. Bryant and Ecology of Cyanobacteria, edited by B.A. Whitton and M. Potts). Together, the three volumes provide the most comprehensive treatment of cyanobacterial literature as a whole. The book will serve as a valuable reference work and text for teaching and research in the field of plant-microbe interactions and nitrogen fixation.

"Annual Plant Reviews," Volume 14

It is difficult to over-state the importance of plant pigments in biology. Chlorophylls are arguably the most important organic compounds on earth, as they are required for photosynthesis. Carotenoids are also necessary for the survival of both plants and mammals, through their roles in photosynthesis and nutrition, respectively. The other plant pigment groups, such as flavonoids and betalains, have important roles in both the biology of plants and the organisms with which plants interact.

This book provides an overview of pigment chemistry and biology, together with an up-to-date account of the biosynthesis of pigments and the modification of their production using biotechnology. The chapters cover a wide scope of pigmentation research - from the importance of structural diversity in generating the range of colours seen in plants, through to improving human health properties of crops by increasing pigment levels in transgenic plants.

The volume is directed at researchers and professionals in plant biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics.

Endophytic prokaryotes can invade the tissue of the host plant without triggering defense reactions or disease symptoms. Instead, they promote the growth of the host plant due to their ability to fix atmospheric dinitrogen and/or to produce plant growth-promoting substances.

This Microbiology Monographs volume presents up-to-date findings on the interactions between plants and beneficial prokaryotes, including the use of genomics for the analysis of plant-prokaryote symbioses and their evolution. Rhizobia-legume, actinorhizal and cyanobacterial symbioses are presented.

Dispersal processes have important effects on plant distribution and abundance. Although adaptations to long range dispersal (telechory) are by no means rare in desert plants, many desert plant species do not possess any features to promote dispersal (atelechory), while others have structures that hamper dispersal (antitelechory). The high frequency with which atelechorous and antitelechorous mechanisms are present in plants inhabiting arid areas indicates the importance of these adaptations. Among the benefits derived from these adaptations are the spreading of germination over time, the provision of suitable conditions for germination and subsequent seedling establishment, and the maintenance of a reservoir of available seeds (seed bank). This book describes the ways and means - anatomical, morphological and ecological - by which dispersal in desert plants has evolved to ensure the survival of these species in their harsh and unpredictable environment.