This edited book provides knowledge about hemicelluloses biorefinery approaching production life cycle, circular economy, and valorization by obtaining value-added bioproducts and bioenergy. A special focus is dedicated to chemical and biochemical compounds produced from the hemicelluloses derivatives platform. Hemicelluloses are polysaccharides located into plant cell wall, with diverse chemical structures and properties. It is the second most spread organic polymer on nature and found in vast lignocellulosic materials from agro and industrial wastes, therefore, hemicelluloses are considered as abundant and renewable raw material/feedstock. Biorefinery concept contributes to hemicelluloses production associated with biomass industrial processes. Hemicelluloses are alternative sources of sugars for renewable fuels and as platform for chemicals production. This book reviews chemical processes for sugar production and degradation, obtaining of intermediate and final products, and challenges for pentose fermentation. Aspects of hemicelluloses chain chemical and enzymatic modifications are presented with focus on physicochemical properties improvement for bioplastic and biomaterial approaches. Hemicelluloses are presented as sources for advanced materials in biomedical and pharmaceutical uses, and as hydrogel for chemical and medicine deliveries. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to cover all the processes involving hemicelluloses, its conversion into final and intermediate value-added compounds, and bioenergy production. Covering this context, this book is of interest to teachers, students, researchers, and scientists dedicated to biomass valorization. This book is a knowledge source of basic aspects to advanced processing and application for graduate students, particularly. Besides, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate students (from different courses) with a deep interest in biomass and waste conversion, valorization, and chemical products from hemicelluloses.

Water is the most basic essential for plant growth; an inadequate supply causes severe problems, as plants rely on the water transmitted by soil to meet their physiological and nutritional needs. Since the first edition was published, flooding and droughts throughout the world have made water an even more topical subject, as the importance and instability of our water supplies have been brought to the forefront of daily life. This new edition of Water Dynamics in Plant Production focuses on the dynamics of water through the hydrologic cycle and the associated mechanisms that plants employ to optimize growth and development. It describes the basic scientific principles of water transport in the soil-plant atmosphere continuum, and explains the linkage between transpirational water use and dry matter production. Paying particular attention to the various agronomic strategies for adaptation to climate-driven limitations of water resources, the efficiency of water use in plant production and in achieving an economic yield is presented in detail. This book offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the fundamentals and applications of water dynamics in natural and managed ecosystems. Including text boxes throughout, as well as online supplementary material, it provides an essential state of-the-art resource for students and researchers of soil and plant science, hydrology and agronomy. This book is enhanced with supplementary resources.

This book provides a straightforward and easy-to-understand overview of beneficial plant-bacterial interactions. It features a wealth of unique illustrations to clarify the text, and each chapter includes study questions that highlight the important points, as well as references to key experiments. Since the publication of the first edition of Beneficial Plant-Bacterial Interactions, in 2015, there has been an abundance of new discoveries in this area, and in recent years, scientists around the globe have begun to develop a relatively detailed understanding of many of the mechanisms used by bacteria that facilitate plant growth and development. This knowledge is gradually becoming an integral component of modern agricultural practice, with more and more plant growth-promoting bacterial strains being commercialized and used successfully in countries throughout the world. In addition, as the world's population continues to grow, the pressure for increased food production will intensify, while at the same time, environmental concerns, mean that environmentally friendly methods of food production will need to replace many traditional agricultural practices such as the use of potentially dangerous chemicals. The book, intended for students, explores the fundamentals of this new paradigm in agriculture, horticulture, and environmental cleanup.

In the modern world, to meet increasing energy demands we need to develop new technologies allowing us to use eco-friendly carbon-neutral energy sources. Solar energy as the most promising renewable source could be the way to solve that problem, but it is variable depending on day time and season. From this side, the understanding of photosynthesis process could be of significant help for us to develop effective strategies of solar energy capturing, conversion, and storage. Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria perform photosynthesis, annually producing around 100 billion tons of dry biomass. Presently, the detailed studies of photosynthetic system structure make functional investigations of the photosynthetic process available, allowing scientists to construct artificial systems for solar energy transduction. This book summarizes exciting achievements in understanding of photosynthetic structures and mechanisms of this process made by world leaders in photosynthesis field, and contains information about modern ideas in development of revolutionary new technologies of energy conversion. Organized according to the natural sequence of events occurring during photosynthesis, the book includes information of both photosynthetic structures and mechanisms and its applications in bioenergetics issues.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of the systematic vegatative anatomy of the plant family Iridaceae. The iris family includes several horticulturally important genera, such as Iris Crocus, Gladiolus and Freesia, and many others of potential horticultural value. The book contains much original information, and places it in the context of the taxonomy and relationships of the plants concerned. It also summarizes the relevant literature. Like its predecessors in the Anatomy of the Monocotyledons series, Volume VIII: Iridaceae will be an essential reference work for students and professionals in botany and horticulture.

Global climate change is bound to create a number of abiotic and biotic stresses in the environment, which would affect the overall growth and productivity of plants. Like other living beings, plants have the ability to protect themselves by evolving various mechanisms against stresses, despite being sessile in nature. They manage to withstand extremes of temperature, drought, flooding, salinity, heavy metals, atmospheric pollution, toxic chemicals and a variety of living organisms, especially viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects and arachnids and weeds. Incidence of abiotic stresses may alter the plant-pest interactions by enhancing susceptibility of plants to pathogenic organisms. These interactions often change plant response to abiotic stresses. Plant growth regulators modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and regulate their growth and developmental cascades. A number of physiological and molecular processes that act together in a complex regulatory network, further manage these responses. Crosstalk between autophagy and hormones also occurs to develop tolerance in plants towards multiple abiotic stresses. Similarly, biostimulants, in combination with correct agronomic practices, have shown beneficial effects on plant metabolism due to the hormonal activity that stimulates different metabolic pathways. At the same time, they reduce the use of agrochemicals and impart tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Further, the use of bio- and nano-fertilizers seem to hold promise to improve the nutrient use efficiency and hence the plant yield under stressful environments. It has also been shown that the seed priming agents impart stress tolerance. Additionally, tolerance or resistance to stress may also be induced by using specific chemical compounds such as polyamines, proline, glycine betaine, hydrogen sulfide, silicon, -aminobutyric acid, -aminobutyric acid and so on. This book discusses the advances in plant performance under stressful conditions. It should be very useful to graduate students, researchers, and scientists in the fields of botanical science, crop science, agriculture, horticulture, ecological and environmental science.

This edited book brings out a comprehensive collection of information on the modern omics-based research. The main focus of this book is to educate researchers about utility of omics-based technologies in rapid crop improvement. In last two decades, omics technologies have been utilized significantly in the area of plant sciences and has shown promising results. Omics technology has potential to address the challenge of food security in the near future. The comprehensive use of omics technology occurred in last two decades and helped greatly in the understanding of complex biological problems, improve crop productivity and ensure sustainable use of ecosystem services. This book is of interest to researchers and students of life sciences, biotechnology, plant biotechnology, agriculture, forestry, and environmental sciences. It is also a useful knowledge resource for national and international agricultural scientists.

This book focuses on the effects of genotoxic agents causing oxidative stress in plants. The book explores different kind of chemicals which induces genotoxicity, their mechanism of action and effects on plant health. Impacts at the physiological and molecular levels are discussed. The book is of interest to teachers, researchers and plant scientists. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists will also find this to be a useful read.

Carbon stabilization involves to capturing carbon from the atmosphere and fix it in the forms soil organic carbon stock for a long period of time, it will be present to escape as a greenhouse gas in the form of carbon dioxide. Soil carbon storage is an important ecosystem service, resulting from interactions of several ecological processes. This process is primarily mediated by plants through photosynthesis, with carbon stored in the form of soil organic carbon. Soil carbon levels have reduced over decades of conversion of pristine ecosystems into agriculture landscape, which now offers the opportunity to store carbon from air into the soil. Carbon stabilization into the agricultural soils is a novel approach of research and offers promising reduction in the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This book brings together all aspects of soil carbon sequestration and stabilization, with a special focus on diversity of microorganisms and management practices of soil in agricultural systems. It discusses the role of ecosystem functioning, recent and future prospects, soil microbial ecological studies, rhizosphere microflora, and organic matter in soil carbon stabilization. It also explores carbon transformation in soil, biological management and its genetics, microbial transformation of soil carbon, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), and their role in sustainable agriculture. The book offers a spectrum of ideas of new technological inventions and fundamentals of soil sustainability. It will be suitable for teachers, researchers, and policymakers, undergraduate and graduate students of soil science, soil microbiology, agronomy, ecology, and environmental sciences

This textbook aims to describe the role of minerals in plant life cycle; how these nutrients are absorbed, distributed, stored; what functions each mineral plays and the disorders that their excess or absence may cause. From an agronomic perspective, such knowledge is key to boost crop production and improve its quality, and it also helps understand how to better manage fertilizers and prevent environmental issues. The book has focus on tropical agriculture and its specific demands, providing examples of major crops (such as sugarcane, soybeans, coffee etc), silviculture and pasture species.

This book collects comprehensive information on taxonomy, morphology, distribution, wood anatomy, wood properties and uses. It also discusses silvicultural aspects, agroforestry, pests and diseases, biotechnology, molecular studies, biosynthesis of oil, conservation, trade and commerce of Sandal wood. Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is considered as one of the world's most valuable commercial timber and is known globally for its heartwood and oil. The book brings together systematic representation of information with illustrations, thus an all-inclusive reference and field guide for foresters, botanists, researchers, farmers, traders and environmentalists.

Magnitude and quality of life as well as sustainable human progress inescapably depend on the state of our environment. The environment, in essence, is a common resource of all the living organisms in the biosphere as well as a vivacious basis of the evolution of life on Earth. A sustainable future broods over a sustainable environment-an environment encompassing life-originating, life-supporting, and life-sustaining uniqueness. A deteriorating environment haplessly sets in appalling conditions leading to shrinkage of life and a halt in human progress. The current global environment scenario is extremely dismal. Environmental disruptions, largely owing to anthropogenic activities, are steadily leading to awful climate change. Horribly advancing toward mass extinction in the near or distant future and posing a threat to our Living Planet, the unabatedly ongoing climate change, in fact, is an unprecedented issue of human concern about life in the recorded human history. How to get rid of the environmental mess and resolve environmental issues leading to climate change mitigation is the foremost challenge facing humanity in our times. There are several measures the whole world is resorting to. They are primarily focused on cutting down excessive carbon emissions by means of development of technological alternatives, for example, increasing mechanical efficiencies and ever-more dependence on clean-energy sources. These are of great importance, but there is yet a natural phenomenon that has been, and will unceasingly be, pivotal to maintain climate order of the Earth. For it to phenomenally boost, we need to explore deeper aspects of environmental science. It is the environmental plant physiology that links us with deeper roots of life. Environmental Plant Physiology: Botanical Strategies for a Climate-Smart Planet attempts to assimilate a relatively new subject that helps us understand the very phenomenon of life that persists in the planet's environment and depends on, and is influenced by, a specific set of operating environmental factors. It is the subject that helps us understand adaptation mechanisms within a variety of habitats as well as the implications of the alterations of environmental factors on the inhabiting organisms, their populations, and communities. Further, this book can also be of vital importance for policy makers and organizations dealing with climate-related issues and committed to the cause of the earth. This book can be instrumental in formulating strategies that can lead us to a climate-smart planet. Features: * Provides ecological basis of environmental plant physiology * Discusses energy, nutrient, water, temperature, allelochemical, and altitude relations of plants * Reviews stress physiology of plants and plants' adaptations to the changing climate * Examines climate-change effects on plant physiology * Elucidates evolving botanical strategies for a climate-smart planet

Molecular plant pathology has directly benefited from advances in modern molecular techniques. These techniques have been applied both to pathogen and plant, enhancing our understanding of the organisms themselves and of the complex interactions which determine compatibility between them and their host plants. This new book and its companion volume represent the first comprehensive guide to the latest molecular techniques as well as the established approaches to the subject. Detailed protocols are included which address a wide range of investigations from plant pathogen isolation and culture, through physiology and biochemistry, to techniques for localizing genes and their products within the cells of the infected plants. Topics in Volume I include pathogens and pathogen manipulation, nucleic acid isolation and hybridization techniques, analysis of gene expression, and in situ hybridization. Researchers in plant science, molecular biology, and related areas will find the two volumes of Molecular Plant Pathology to be an invaluable experimental resource for this exciting and fast moving field, providing a wealth of easy-to-follow protocols supported by expert advice and guidance.

This edited book is focused on antioxidant compounds and their biosynthesis, up-regulation, mechanism of action for selective bioactivity, targeted role and the advancement of their bioactive potential during plant-microbe interaction and other stress conditions. This book also emphasizes on the role of antioxidants in recruiting beneficial microbes in plant surroundings. Antioxidants have multiple biological roles in plants especially in the signalling pathway. These compounds are secondary metabolites produced besides the primary biosynthetic pathway and are associated with growth and development. Besides they also have special role to play during oxidative stress produced via abiotic stimulants or pathogen attack. This understanding of the biosynthesis, signaling and function of antioxidant compounds in plants during stress condition is helpful in restoring plant ecosystem productivity and improve plant responses to a wide range of stress conditions. This book is a useful compilation for researchers and academicians in botany, plant physiology, plant biochemistry and stress physiology. Also the book serves as reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of environmental sciences, agricultural sciences and other plant science courses.

Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and global climate conditions have altered photosynthesis and plant respiration across both geologic and contemporary time scales. Understanding climate change effects on plant carbon dynamics is critical for predicting plant responses to future growing conditions. Furthermore, demand for biofuel, fibre and food production is rapidly increasing with the ever-expanding global human population, and our ability to meet these demands is exacerbated by climate change. This volume integrates physiological, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives on photosynthesis and respiration responses to climate change. We explore this topic in the context of modeling plant responses to climate, including physiological mechanisms that constrain carbon assimilation and the potential for plants to acclimate to rising carbon dioxide concentration, warming temperatures and drought. Additional chapters contrast climate change responses in natural and agricultural ecosystems, where differences in climate sensitivity between different photosynthetic pathways can influence community and ecosystem processes. Evolutionary studies over past and current time scales provide further insight into evolutionary changes in photosynthetic traits, the emergence of novel plant strategies, and the potential for rapid evolutionary responses to future climate conditions. Finally, we discuss novel approaches to engineering photosynthesis and photorespiration to improve plant productivity for the future. The overall goals for this volume are to highlight recent advances in photosynthesis and respiration research, and to identify key challenges to understanding and scaling plant physiological responses to climate change. The integrated perspectives and broad scope of research make this volume an excellent resource for both students and researchers in many areas of plant science, including plant physiology, ecology, evolution, climate change, and biotechnology. For this volume, 37 experts contributed chapters that span modeling, empirical, and applied research on photosynthesis and respiration responses to climate change. Authors represent the following seven countries: Australia (6); Canada (9), England (5), Germany (2), Spain (3), and the United States (12).

Agronomic crops have been used to provide foods, beverages, fodders, fuels, medicines and industrial raw materials since the dawn of human civilization. Today, agronomic crops are being cultivated by employing scientific methods instead of traditional methods. However, in the current era of climate change, agronomic crops are subjected to various environmental stresses, which results in substantial yield loss. To meet the food demands of the ever-increasing global population, new technologies and management practices are being adopted to boost yield and maintain productivity under both normal and adverse conditions. Scientists are now exploring a variety of approaches to the sustainable production of agronomic crops, including varietal development, soil management, nutrient and water management, pest management, etc. Researchers have also made remarkable progress in developing stress tolerance in crops through different approaches. However, achieving optimal production to meet the increasing food demand is an open challenge. Although there have been numerous publications on the above-mentioned problems, and despite the extensive research being conducted on them, there is hardly any comprehensive book available. In response, this book offers a timely resource, addressing all aspects of production technologies, management practices and stress tolerance in agronomic crops in a single volume.

This edited volume is a comprehensive account of plant diseases and insect pests, plant protection and management for various crops using microbial and biotechnological approaches. The book elucidates the role of biotechnology for the enhancement of crop productivity and management of bacterial and fungal diseases via eco-friendly methods. It discusses crop-pest/ pathogen interaction and utilizing this interaction in a beneficial and sustainable way. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, plant scientists and plant pathologists. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences.

In the recent past, threats from climate change and unforeseeable environmental extremes to plant growth and productivity have consistently increased. The climate change-driven effects, especially from unpredictable environmental fluctuations, can result in an increased prevalence of abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. These stresses have slowed down the global yields of crop plants. On the other hand, food security for the rapidly growing human population in a sustainable ecosystem is a major concern of the present-day world. Thus, understanding the core developmental, physiological and molecular aspects that regulate plant growth and productivity in a challenging environment is a pivotal issue to be tackled by the scientific community dealing with sustainable agricultural and horticultural practices. Plants are influenced by the adverse environmental conditions at various levels, their different and diverse responses play a significant role in determining their growth, production and the overall geographical distribution. The chapters in this book focus on the biological mechanisms and fundamental principles that determine how different plant species grow, perform and interact with a challenging environment. This book covers a broad range of topics in plant science, including gene function, molecules, physiology, cell biology and plant ecology, to understand the functioning of plants under harsh environmental conditions. The book elucidates the physiological and molecular mechanisms in different plant species, ecophysiological interactions of plants, interplay between plant roots, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, biosensors for monitoring stress, production of secondary metabolites, stress alleviation processes, and more.

This book provides keys, descriptions and illustrations for about 850 species of liverworts and hornworts, in 148 genera and 47 families, of Colombia and Ecuador. The largest genera are Lejeunea (66 spp.), Plagiochila (65), Frullania (54), Radula (33), Metzgeria (33), Cololejeunea (32), Cheilolejeunea (30), Bazzania (26), Drepanolejeunea (25), Ceratolejeunea (18), Diplasiolejeunea (18), and Syzygiella (18). Species descriptions include brief morphological characterization and discussion with emphasis on characters for identification, world range as well as distribution and habitat in Colombia and Ecuador. Classes, orders, families and genera are also described and the main features for recognition of the genera are briefly discussed. The introduction includes chapters on history of exploration, diversity and endemism, and classification. A glossary, bibliography and index to scientific names are also provided.

This book focuses on the plant cytoskeleton and its various cross-talks with other cellular components leading to its role in plant growth and development. It not only allows the geometric and signaling dimensions of cells, but is also very important in physiological processes. The book discusses the recent studies showing the role of actin and microtubule cytoskeleton interactions in cell-wall assembly and dynamics. The authors examine the role of both microtubules in the mechanics of plant cells, and actin filaments in the motility of chloroplasts. Based on recent advances in the study of the acto-myosin complex using high-resolution microscopy, they propose a new model for intracellular transport in plants. Exploring an almost-forgotten field of bioelectricity in the context of the cytoskeleton, the book highlights connections between the dynamic actin filaments and the bioelectricity of membranes and demonstrates that the plant cytoskeleton is involved in the distribution of plant hormones. Lastly, it addresses the role of endomembrane -cytoskeleton interactions to show the importance of the cytoskeleton in organelle morphogenesis and cellular functions. Studies in various plant models have shown how the actin filament and microtubules control and coordinate plant cell growth and development. This book summarizes the mechanisms underlying these functions.

Agriculture faces many challenges to fulfil the growing demand for sustainable food production and ensure high-quality nutrition for a rapidly growing population. To guarantee adequate food production, it is necessary to increase the yield per area of arable land. A method for achieving this goal has been the application of growth regulators to modulate plant growth. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are substances in specific formulations which, when applied to plants or seeds, have the capacity to promote, inhibit, or modify physiological traits, development and/or stress responses. They maintain proper balance between source and sink for enhancing crop yield. PGRs are used to maximize productivity and quality, improve consistency in production, and overcome genetic and abiotic limitations to plant productivity. Suitable PGRs include hormones such as cytokinins and auxins, and hormone-like compounds such as mepiquat chloride and paclobutrazol. The use of PGRs in mainstream agriculture has steadily increased within the last 20 years as their benefits have become better understood by growers. Unfortunately, the growth of the PGR market may be constrained by a lack of innovation at a time when an increase in demand for new products will require steady innovation and discovery of novel, cost-competitive, specific, and effective PGRs. A plant bio-stimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrients content. Apart from traditional PGRs, which are mostly plant hormones, there are a number of substances/molecules such as nitric oxide, methyl jasmonate, brassinosteroids, seaweed extracts, strigolactones, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria etc. which act as PGRs. These novel PGRs or bio-stimulants have been reported to play important roles in stress responses and adaptation. They can protect plants against various stresses, including water deficit, chilling and high temperatures, salinity and flooding. This book includes chapters ranging from sensing and signalling in plants to translational research. In addition, the cross-talk operative in plants in response to varied signals of biotic and abiotic nature is also presented. Ultimately the objective of this book is to present the current scenario and the future plan of action for the management of stresses through traditional as well as novel PGRs. We believe that this book will initiate and introduce readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends in this field of study.

The book is intended as a guide for molecular biology students, equipping them to successfully study plants. It pursues a holistic approach, viewing the whole plant as an integrated operating organism, and is written in a straightforward manner, making it appealing to anyone interested in plants. Further, it reflects the latest findings for scientists and students in the fields of plant sciences, biology, agriculture, forestry, ecology, vascular medicine and cancer, discussing e.g. how hormonal signals induce and regulate simple and complex patterns in plants vascular tissues, their adaptation and evolution. * written by a world-renowned expert who has worked in the field for 50 years * covers the field from the initial studies conducted more than a century ago up to recent studies with up-to-date explanations * describes in details the structure, development, physiology and basic molecular biology of plants' vascular tissues, their function, regeneration and environmental adaptation * explores the controlling mechanisms of plant vascular differentiation by continuously moving hormonal signals and their precursors * discusses the regulation of stem cells and cambium, control of gradients in vascular cell size along the plant, juvenile-adult transition and rejuvenation, grafting, mechanisms of recovery from bending by reaction wood, evolution of vessels and fibers from tracheids, regulation of ring-porous wood evolution, protecting mechanisms against insects and pathogens, parasitism, plant cancer, and more * helps readers understand the scope and breadth of plant vascular systems in 20 detailed, high-quality chapters * includes a wealth of outstanding original color photographs and illustrations documenting the formation of vascular tissues * provides an in-depth understanding of plant biology by studying their vascular tissues

Ecological intensification involves using natural resources such as land, water, soil nutrients, and other biotic and abiotic variables in a sustainable way to achieve high performance and efficiency in agricultural yield with minimal damage to the agroecosystems. With increasing food demand there is high pressure on agricultural systems. The concept of ecological intensification presents the mechanisms of ensuring high agricultural productivity by restoration the soil health and landscape ecosystem services. The approach involves the replacement of anthropogenic inputs with eco-friendly and sustainable alternates. Effective ecological intensification requires an understanding of ecosystems services, ecosystem's components, and flow of resources in the agroecosystems. Also, awareness of land use patterns, socio-economic factors, and needs of the farmer community plays a crucial role. It is therefore essential to understand the interaction of ecosystem constituents within the extensive agricultural landscape. The editors critically examined the status of ecological stress in agroecosystems and address the issue of ecological intensification for natural resources management. Drawing upon research and examples from around the world, the book is offering an up-to-date account, and insight into the approaches that can be put in practice for poly-cropping systems and landscape-scale management to increase the stability of agricultural production systems to achieve 'Ecological resilience'. It further discusses the role of farmer communities and the importance of their awareness about the issues. This book will be of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders, and policymakers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, agronomy, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policymakers will also find this to be a useful read for green future.

This book describes the exciting biology and chemistry of strigolactones. Outgrowth of shoot branches? Development of lateral roots? Interactions with beneficial microorganisms? Avoiding parasitic plants? Responding to drought conditions? These important "decisions" that plants make are all regulated by a group of hormones called strigolactones. The latest research has yielded a number of new biological concepts, such as a redefinition of plant hormones and their crosstalk, new functional diversity of receptors, hormonal "smoke and mirrors," core signaling pathways, and even phloem transport of receptor proteins. Another important aspect of strigolactones is the related synthetic chemistry, which could pave the way for a variety of potential applications in agriculture and medicine. The book explains in detail the role that strigolactones play in plant development, and addresses the interaction of plants with soil biota and abiotic stress conditions, prospects of strigolactone biochemistry and evolution, and chemical synthesis of natural strigolactones and analogs, together with their potential applications. Including a glossary and end-of-chapter synopses to aid in comprehension, it offers a valuable asset for teachers, lecturers and (post-) graduate students in biology, agronomy and related areas..

In this first comprehensive treatment of plant biomechanics, Karl J. Niklas analyzes plant form and provides a far deeper understanding of how form is a response to basic physical laws. He examines the ways in which these laws constrain the organic expression of form, size, and growth in a variety of plant structures, and in plants as whole organisms, and he draws on the fossil record as well as on studies of extant species to present a genuinely evolutionary view of the response of plants to abiotic as well as biotic constraints. Well aware that some readers will need an introduction to basic biomechanics or to basic botany, Niklas provides both, as well as an extensive glossary, and he has included a number of original drawings and photographs to illustrate major structures and concepts. This volume emphasizes not only methods of biomechanical analysis but also the ways in which it allows one to ask, and answer, a host of interesting questions. As Niklas points out in the first chapter, From the archaic algae to the most derived multicellular terrestrial plants, from the spectral properties of light-harvesting pigments in chloroplasts to the stacking of leaves in the canopies of trees, the behavior of plants is in large part responsive to and intimately connected with the physical environment. In addition, plants tend to be exquisitely preserved in the fossil record, thereby giving us access to the past. Its biomechanical analyses of various types of plant cells, organs, and whole organisms, and its use of the earliest fossil records of plant life as well as sophisticated current studies of extant species, make this volume a unique and highly integrative contribution to studies of plant form, evolution, ecology, and systematics.