This book highlights some of the most important biochemical, physiological and molecular aspects of plant stress, together with the latest updates. It is divided into 14 chapters, written by eminent experts from around the globe and highlighting the effects of plant stress (biotic and abiotic) on the photosynthetic apparatus, metabolites, programmed cell death, germination etc. In turn, the role of beneficial elements, glutathione-S-transferase, phosphite and nitric oxide in the adaptive response of plants under stress and as a stimulator of better plant performance is also discussed. A dedicated chapter addresses research advances in connection with Capsicum, a commercially important plant, and stress tolerance, from classical breeding to the recent use of large-scale transcriptome and genome sequencing technologies. The book also explores the significance of the liliputians of the plant kingdom (Bryophytes) as biomonitors/bioindicators, and general and specialized bioinformatics resources that can benefit anyone working in the field of plant stress biology. Given the information compiled here, the book will offer a valuable guide for students and researchers of plant molecular biology and stress physiology alike.

Forest management is a complex process that now incorporates information obtained from many sources. It is increasingly obvious that the physiological status of the trees in a forest has a dramatic impact on the likely success of any particular management strategy. Indeed, models described in this book that deal with forest productivity and sustainability require physiological information. This information can only be obtained from an understanding of the basic biological mechanisms and processes that contribute to individual tree growth. This valuable book illustrates that physiological ecology is a fundamental element of proficient forest management.

New research reveals that plants actively acquire nutrients; the acquisition process is not a passive one in which plants simply wait for dissolved nutrients to come closer to their roots. In fact plants play a far more active role than once was understood to be possible in nutrient acquisition and in adaptation to problem soils. This book presents an excellent overview and summary of new concepts of plant nutrient acquisition mechanisms, and sets forth their practical implications in crop production. The scope is wide ranging, from biochemical, molecular, and genetic analysis of nutrient acquisition to global nutritional problems. Especially noteworthy are the sections on the cell apoplast, phosphorus-solubilizing organisms, and direct uptake of macro-organic molecules. With contributions by leading scientists worldwide, the book provides an invaluable resource for researchers in plant and environmental sciences and in agronomy and other branches of agriculture.

The strength of this book is that it is written by someone who has spent a lifetime devoted to the science of economic botany. The author has brought together his vast experience in the field in Africa with his studies of arid land plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The result is an informative and reliable text that covers a vast range of topics. It is also firmly based upon the author's research and interest in plant taxonomy and therefore fully acknowledges the importance of correct naming and classification in the field of science of economic botany. The coverage is of economic botany in its broadest sense. I was delighted to find such topics as ecophysiology, plant breeding, the environment and conservation are included in the text. This gives the book a much more comprehensive coverage than most other texts on the subject. I was also glad to see that the book covers the use of various organisms that are no longer considered part of the plant kingdom such as various species of fungi and algae. It is indeed a broad ranging book that will be of use to many people interested in the uses of plants and fungi. Economic botany is once again being given more prominence as a discipline because of its enormous relevance to both conservation and sustainable development. Those people involved in those topics shOUld find this a most useful resource.

Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae, are among the most important primary producers and act as ecological engineers on rocky coasts of the world s oceans. In addition to their extreme ecological importance they are also of high economic relevance. Complementing available textbooks with its more research-oriented approach, this volume contains 22 chapters by renowned experts, grouped in five parts. In Part I fundamental processes and acclimation strategies of seaweeds towards the abiotic environment are covered. Part II focuses on the multitude of biotic interactions in seaweed communities, and in Part III the reader is introduced to the structure and function of the main seaweed systems of the world. The chapters of Part IV highlight and discuss the effects of global and local environmental changes on seaweeds and their communities. In the final Part V a comprehensive overview of developments in seaweed aquaculture, industrial applications and the overall economic importance of seaweeds is provided. Summarizing the advances in seaweed biology achieved within the last few decades, this book also identifies gaps in the present knowledge and needs for future research."

Glutathione is a thiol-containing tripeptide, which appears to be present in nearly all living organisms and which is involved in many important metabolic and physiological processes. The present volume focuses on the biological significance of glutathione in plants. The biochemistry and the metabolism of glutathione are reviewed, and its role in sulphur and selenium metabolism in plants is discussed. The significance of glutathione and of glutathione-related enzymes in the adaptation to natural stress, heavy metals, xenobiotics, air pollution, and in plant-pathogen and plant-animal interactions are evaluated. The main aim of this second volume in the series Plant Ecophysiology is to raise the interest of advanced students and junior researchers in the role of glutathione in plants and to supply basic and comprehensive information for scientists already working on related topics.

Root hairs are tip-growing cells that originate from epidennal cells called trichoblasts. Their role may be simply thought of as extending the surface area of the root to facilitate absorption of nutrients and water. However, as you will see in this book, the root hair is far more than that. To an increasingly larger number of plant biologists, the root hair is a model cell. It grows in much the same way as a pollen tube, by sending vast numbers of vesicles containing cell wall precursors to a rounded apical dome, the tip. Once the trichoblast becomes committed to root hair fonnation, it no longer divides. The root hair cell has a migrating nucleus and a complex cytoskeleton. It has a varied cell wall. It is easy to observe through differential interference contrast microscopy because there are no other cells around it to disturb the image. Cytoplasmic streaming is exceptionally clear, and amyloplasts and even mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum can be seen without reporter labelling in some species. Root hair mutants are easy to distinguish and catalogue. Plant honnones are involved in their growth and development. It is thus an almost ideal plant cell for experimental manipulation and observation. The root hair is also involved in interactions with soil microbes, as you will learn from later chapters of the book.

This is the fifth time a "Horticultural Research International" has been published, again revised and extended. Since 1986 a lot has changed in the world: new countries with old names appeared on the map, while recognized frontiers vanished. As the organizing editors we tried to follow these evolutions as closely as possible. In many cases we were able to establish communication with our correspondents as usual; nevertheless we had to delete a total of 8 countries. Thanks to correspondents from 74 different countries we are now able to present this edition, comprising a total of 1800 institutes, including 20,000 names of individual research workers. We are very grateful to the correspondents from 17 newly enlisted countries who performed pioneer work for us. Noteworthy is the fact that especially the Asian continent made a leap forward with contributions from 13 countries in 1986 to 19 in the present volume of "Horticultural Research International". At the secretariat we will continue to extend our network, so please feel free to send us any suggestions or additions you would like to make. For the first time we added a list of international organizations relevant to horticulture. In the editing process a further standardization has been used to reach an easily readable and comparable survey per country. Hopefully this directory will again facilitate cooperation on a worldwide scale among horticulturists active in governmental, academic, extensional, educational, technical or commercial fields.

The study of plant development using molecular and genetic techniques is rapidly becoming one of the most active areas of research on flowering plants. The aim of this book is to present a sense of the accomplishments of the past and of the outstanding problems of the future in the study of plant development. An important feature of this book is the integration of results from molecular and genetic studies on various aspects of plant development in a cellular and physiological context. Of particular interest to readers will be the clear treatment of each landmark stage in the life cycle of plants such as seed germination, seedling growth, flowering, gametogenesis, pollen-pistil interactions, embryogenesis, fruit ripening, and seed and bud dormancy. The book also considers the development of individual plant organs such as the shoot, leaf, root and flowers as well as alternate developmental strategies of plants.

In a presentation to the Linnean Society of London in November 1831, the Scottish botanist Robert Brown (perhaps better known for his discovery of Brownian motion) mentioned almost as an afterthought that in orchid epidermal cells, a single "circular areola" could be seen, a "nucleus of the cell as perhaps it might be termed." Thus, the term "nucleus" (from Latin nucleus or nuculeus, "little nut" or kernel) was born for the compartment of the eukaryotic cell that contains the maj- ity of genetic information. One hundred and seventy-seven years later, we know that the nucleus is the site where genetic information is stored in the form of DNA, and where it is protected from damage, duplicated, divided, recombined, repaired, and "expressed." For the latter, the genetic information is faithfully transcribed from DNA to RNA, then released from the nucleus into the surrounding cytoplasm. Most likely translated into polypeptide chains, the information re-enters the nucleus in the form of diverse proteins that function in the processes listed above.

Mongolia is an expansive land-locked country, tilted by tectonic forces to the North, that experiences extremes of continental climate. Moisture-carrying wind currents are scarce so that the land has extended highs and lows in its environment. Culturally the people are mostly nomadic, having been sustained for centuries by an economy based on domestic livestock grazing. There is a saying that, As the noses go, so goes Mongolia', referring to the domesticated grazing noses of sheep, goats, camels, yaks or horses, and wild ungulates such as gazelles. The vast fenceless steppes of Mongolia furnish the vegetation for grazing. With such extremes in climate it is clear that the vegetation must be resilient and dynamic to cope with the dictates of its extremely harsh environments. Pollen profiles from lakes, plant macrofossils and other data over the last 15,000 years show the dynamic nature of Mongolian vegetation. Currently Mongolian society is experiencing much human-driven economic development which increases pressure on its vegetation. The Great Khural Laws of 1995 forcefully addressed such environmental concerns with the expanded establishment of National Reserves and Parks. But continued effort and vigilance must be expended to insure that Mongolian society will continue to be sustained by its vegetation. This book highlights work such as conserving and restoring plant diversity in various ecosystems and makes recommendations for sustaining the vegetation basis of the nomadic Mongolian society.

Plant Cell and Tissue Culture gives an exhaustive account of plant cell culture and genetic transformation, including detailed chapters on all major field and plantation crops. Part A presents a comprehensive coverage of all necessary laboratory techniques for the initiation, nutrition, maintenance and storage of plant cell and tissue cultures, including discussions on these topics, as well as on morphogenesis and regeneration, meristem and shoot tip culture, plant protoplasts, mutant cell lines, variation in tissue cultures, isogenic lines, fertilization control, cryopreservation, transformation, and the production of secondary metabolites. Part B then proceeds into detail on the specific in vitro culture of specific crops, including cereals, legumes, vegetables, potatoes, other roots and tubers, oilseeds, temperate fruits, tropical fruits, plantation crops, forest trees and ornamentals. Plant Cell and Tissue Culture is, and is likely to remain, the laboratory manual of choice, as well as a source of inspiration and a guide to all workers in the field.

This timely reference provides an in-depth and up-to-date study of the most important groups of plant secondary compounds. No other work features such detailed diagrams of the biosynthetic pathways leading to the most important groups of secondary metabolites, as well as the structures of major types of compounds, their distribution in various taxonomic groupings of plants, and the evolutionary and ecological roles of these compounds. Plant Secondary Metabolism presents a basic understanding of the origin of the compounds, the nature of the precursors involved, and the basic reactions, mechanisms, and stereochemistry. The origin of groups of secondary metabolites is linked to evolutionary principles, and their biological activity is viewed in a context of chemical ecology. Topics are treated comprehensively, enabling the reader to understand not only a particular group of compounds, but also how each group fits into the whole. In addition, the text allows readers to systematically survey various secondary metabolites and gain a quick working knowledge which can be applied to problems in a particular field. Those researchers and students who will be most intrigued by this publication's broad overview on plant secondary metabolites come from a diverse range of disciplines, including agronomy, anthropology, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, entomology, food science, forestry, geology, horticulture, pharmacognosy, plant biology, plant sciences, toxicology, and zoology.

Traditional plant physiological ecology is organism centered and provides a useful framework for understanding the interactions between plants and their environment and for identifying characteristics likely to result in plant success in a particular habitat. This book focuses on extending concepts from plant physiological ecology as a basis for understanding carbon, energy, and biogeochemical cycles at ecosystem, regional, and global levels.
This will be a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in ecology, plant ecophysiology, ecosystem research, biometerology, earth system science, and remote sensing.
Key Features
* The integration of metabolic activities across spatial scales, from leaf to ecosystem
* Global constraints and regional processes
* Functional units in ecological scaling
* Models and technologies for scaling

Plant Cell Morphogenesis: Methods and Protocols provides a collection of experimental techniques used in current research on the cellular aspects of plant morphogenesis. Methods and techniques include contemporary takes on classical light microscopy and histochemistry through automated microscopy applications, use of advanced optical tools, quantitative image analysis, study of cellular dynamics of apical meristems, specialized electron microscopy techniques, and methods used to study specific model plant cell types and protocols for using heterologous expression in yeast to study cell morphogenesis genes. Individual chapters in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format are written by expert researchers in the field and include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Natural and agro-ecosystems are frequently exposed to natural or synthetic substances, which, while they have no direct nutritional value or significance in metabolism, may negatively affect plant functioning. These, xenobiotics, may originate from both natural (fires, volcano eruptions, soil or rock erosion, biodegradation) and anthropogenic (air and soil pollution, herbicides) sources. And, while affected plants have only a limited number of possibilities for avoiding accumulation of these compounds, they do exhibit several enzymatic reactions for detoxification including oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and conjugation reactions. In agro-ecosystems in particular these mechanisms have great significance in relation to herbicide detoxification and tolerance. In this volume an international group of experts present an overview of the nature and distribution of organic xenobiotics, including their uptake, effects on plant functioning and detoxification mechanisms. The particular significance of glutathione S-transferases in bio-indication and bio-monitoring, and in the detoxification of volatile organic air pollutants and herbicides is evaluated, and their potential significance in phytoremediation and bioaccumulation will be discussed. This volume will be of interest to a wide audience, from graduate students to senior researchers in a wide range of disciplines including plant ecology, plant biochemistry, agriculture and environmental management. It will also be of practical interest to environmentalists, policy makers and resource managers.

An understanding of the mechanisms by which plants perceive environmental cues, both physical and chemical, and transduce the signals that influence specific expression of genes, is an area of intensive scientific research. With the completion of the genome sequence of Arabidopsis it is understood now that a larger number of genes encode for proteins involved in signalling cascades and transcription factors. In this volume, different chapters deal with plant receptors, second messengers like calcium ions, phosphoinositides, salicylic acid and nitrous oxide, calcium binding proteins and kinases. In addition to dealing with the response of plants to light, hormones, pathogens, heat, etc. on cellular activity, work currently going on in apoptosis, cell division, and plastid gene expression is also covered in this book.

Many agricultural crops worldwide, especially in semi-arid climates, suffer from iron deficiencies. Among plants sensitive to iron deficiency are apples, avocado, bananas, barley, beans, citrus, cotton, grapes, peanuts, pecans, potatoes, sorghum, soybeans, and numerous ornamental plants. Deficiencies are usually recognized by chlorotic, in new leaves and are typically found among sensitive crops grown in calcareous or yellowed, interveinal areas soils which cover over 30% of the earth's land surface. Iron deficiency may lead, in extreme cases, to complete crop failure. In intensive agriculture on calcareous soils, iron often becomes a major limiting nutrient for optimal crop production, thus, correction of iron deficiency is required. Various chemicals and practices are available. They are, however, costly and do not always result in a complete remedy of the deficiency. Crucial questions relative to the cost-benefit equation such as the recovery rate of plants and the long-term fertilizing effect have not yet been resolved. The complexity of iron nutrition problems requires an understanding of the chemistry of iron oxides in soils, of the chemistry of both natural and synthetic chelates, of rhizosphere microbiology and biochemistry, and of the physiological involvement of the plant in iron uptake and transport.

The second edition has been completely revised and has incorporated significant changes that have occurred in wood anatomy over the past years. Richly illustrated with light and scanning electron micrographs, Comparative Wood Anatomy clearly introduces dicotyledon wood in terms of cell types and their variations, pertinent literature, taxonomic distribution of characteristics, terminology, methods for preparation and ecological and evolutionary significance of. wood features. From reviews of the previous edition: "In synthesis, this book presents itself as an immensely valuable exposé on comparative wood anatomy and its bearing on systematic, ecological and evolutionary aspects of dicotyledon wood." (Wood Science and Technology) "This book is recommended to all who are interested in a modern, stimulating, competent, and well illustrated work." (Holzforschung)

Plants use resources, i.e. carbon, nutrients, water and energy, either for growth or to defend themselves from biotic and abiotic stresses. This volume provides a timely understanding of resource allocation and its regulation in plants, linking the molecular with biochemical and physiological-level processes. Ecological scenarios covered include competitors, pathogens, herbivores, mycorrhizae, soil microorganisms, carbon dioxide/ozone regimes, nitrogen and light availabilities. The validity of the Growth-Differentiation Balance Hypothesis is examined and novel theoretical concepts and approaches to modelling plant resource allocation are discussed. The results presented can be applied in plant breeding and engineering, as well as in resource-efficient stand management in agriculture and forestry.

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Water is a paramount factor in determining the distribution of species on a global basis. The responses and adaptations of a species to water stress are critical for its success in any environmental niche. The deserts of the Middle East provide an excellent example of the harsh conditions to which plants are subjected.This volume elucidates the adaptations of these plants in order to sustain their life and reproduce to continue their survival. Topics covered include climate aridity and topographic influence on plant life in the deserts, the role of plants in the lives of the Bedouins, the concept of adaptation, its purposes and causes, adaptations that promote increased water uptake and reduction of water output, as well as those which help the plants to tolerate and/or resist the drought, escaping drought and adaptation to desiccation, and the mechanisms by which halophytes can tolerate and/or resist salinity.

Well designed, constructed and maintained reinforced or prestressed concrete structures are generally very durable. In aggressive environments though, corrosion of steel can be a significant problem and structures such as bridges, industrial buildings and those subjected to marine conditions can be particularly at risk. Over the last decade there has been fast growing interest in reinforcing concrete with fibre reinforced plastic materials which cannot rust or deteriorate like steel. This proceedings of the Second International RILEM Symposium on the subject, held in Ghent, August 1995, deals with a wide range of non-metallic materials and opens up possibilities of lighter, more durable structures. The contributions by leading international researchers and design engineers are divided into parts covering material development and properties, bond behaviour of FRP elements, structural behaviour of reinforced and prestressed concrete members, rehabilitation and strengthening, and design methods and applications. This complete overview of knowledge on the subject will provide an essential update for structural engineers, concrete specialists and researchers into materials and structures.

Molecular biology, particularly molecular genetics, is among the newest and most powerful approach in modern photosynthesis research. Development of molecular biology techniques has provided new methods to solve old problems in many biological disciplines. Molecular biology has its greatest potential for contribution when applied in combination with other disciplines, to focus not just on genes and molecules, but on the complex interaction between them and the biochemical pathways in the whole organism. Photosynthesis is surely the best studied research area in plant biology, making this field the foremost candidate for successfully employing molecular genetic techniques. Already, the success of molecular biology in photosynthesis has been nothing short of spectacular. Work performed over the last few years, much of which is sum marized in this volume, stands in evidence. Techniques such as site-specific mutagenesis have helped us in examining the roles of individual protein domains in the function of multiunit complexes such as the enzyme ribulose-l,5-bisphos phate carboxylase/oxygenase (RUBISCO) and the oxygen evolving photo system (the photosystem II). The techniques of molecular biology have been very important in advancing the state of knowledge of the reaction center from the photosynthetic bacteria whose structure has been elegantly deduced by H. Michel and 1. Deisenhofer from the X-ray studies of its crystals."

Plant hormones play a crucial role in controlling the way in which plants growand develop. Whilemetabolism providesthepowerand buildingblocks for plant life, it is the hormones that regulate the speed of growth of the individual parts and integrate these parts to produce the form that we recognize as a plant. In addition, theyplayacontrolling role inthe processes of reproduction. This book is a description ofthese natural chemicals: how they are synthesizedand metabolized; howthey work; whatwe knowoftheir molecular biology; how we measure them; and a description ofsome ofthe roles they play in regulating plant growth and development. Emphasis has also been placed on the new findings on plant hormones deriving from the expanding use ofmolecular biology as a tool to understand these fascinating regulatory molecules. Even at the present time, when the role of genes in regulating all aspects of growth and development is considered of prime importance, it is still clear that the path of development is nonetheless very much under hormonal control, either via changes in hormone levels in response to changes in gene transcription, or with the hormones themselves as regulators ofgene transcription. This is not a conference proceedings, but a selected collection ofnewly written, integrated, illustrated reviews describing our knowledge of plant hormones, and the experimental work that is the foundation of this knowledge.

This is the first volume to provide comprehensive coverage of the biology of water use efficiency at molecular, cellular, whole plant and community levels. While several works have included the phenomenon of water use efficiency, and others have concentrated on an agronomic framework, this book represents the first detailed treatment with a biological focus.

The volume sets out the definitions applicable to water use efficiency, the fundamental physiology and biochemistry governing the efficiency of carbon" vs "water loss, the environmental regulation of this process and the detailed physiological basis by which the plant exerts control over such efficiency. It is aimed at researchers and professionals in plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology and agriculture. It will also inform those involved in formulating research and development policy in this topic around the world.