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.

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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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)

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.

This volume illuminates the disciplinary character of photosynthesis, which spans (bio)physics to agronomy. The book will help provide students with the necessary conceptual outlook for integrating information from the bioenergetic and enzymatic angles, obtained at the molecular level, with the physiology of chloroplasts, leaves and eventually crops. It therefore serves the larger interests of both students and researchers in the areas of agriculture, biotechnology, biochemistry, biophysics, plant physiology, and molecular biology, who are engaged in studying not only the basic aspects of photosynthesis, a major process determining biomass production, but also its relationship to plant productivity.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Abiotic stress drastically limits agricultural crop productivity worldwide. Climate change threatens the sustainable agriculture with its rapid and unpredictable effects, making it difficult for agriculturists and farmers to respond to the challenges cropping up from environmental stresses.In light of population growth and climate changes, investment in agriculture is the only way to avert wide scale food shortages. This challenge comes at a time when plant sciences are witnessing remarkable progress in understanding the fundamental processes of plant growth and development. Plant researchershave identifiedgenes controlling different aspects of plant growth and development, but many challenges still exist in creating an apt infrastructure, access to bioinformatics and good crop results. "Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume2"focuses on many existing opportunities that can be applied methodically through conventional breeding, without touching upon the latest discoveries such as the power of genomics to applied breeding in plant biology.

Written by a diversefaction of internationally famedscholars, this volume adds new horizons in the field of crop improvement, genetic engineering and abiotic stress tolerance. Comprehensive and lavishly illustrated, "Improvement of Crops in the Era of Climatic Changes, Volume2"is a state-of-the-art guide to recent developmentsvis-a-visvarious aspects of plant responses in molecular and biochemical ways to create strong yields and overall crop improvement."

Phytochemicals from medicinal plants are receiving ever greater attention in the scientific literature, in medicine, and in the world economy in general. For example, the global value of plant-derived pharmaceuticals will reach $500 billion in the year 2000 in the OECD countries. In the developing countries, over-the-counter remedies and "ethical phytomedicines," which are standardized toxicologically and clinically defined crude drugs, are seen as a promising low cost alternatives in primary health care. The field also has benefited greatly in recent years from the interaction of the study of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and the application of modem phytochemical analysis and biological activity studies to medicinal plants. The papers on this topic assembled in the present volume were presented at the annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America, held in Mexico City, August 15-19, 1994. This meeting location was chosen at the time of entry of Mexico into the North American Free Trade Agreement as another way to celebrate the closer ties between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The meeting site was the historic Calinda Geneve Hotel in Mexico City, a most appropriate site to host a group of phytochemists, since it was the address of Russel Marker. Marker lived at the hotel, and his famous papers on steroidal saponins from Dioscorea composita, which launched the birth control pill, bear the address of the hotel."

Plant-Microbe Interactions, Volume 1 Many plant-microbe interactions have agronomic importance because of either beneficial (e.g., nitrogen fixation or biocontrol) or detrimental (e.g., pathogen esis) effects. Although these systems have been the subjects of scientific re search for many years, recently there has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge of them. The increases in this research have followed a similar general increase in plant science research. Classical plant science research disciplines (e.g., agronomy, breeding, plant physiology, systematics, etc.) have been affected by an increased focus on molecular biology. These new technologies, as well as advances in other areas, have the effect of blurring the traditional borders between research disciplines. Another factor influencing the development of this research is the increased attention given to environmental issues. These concerns have been brought about by debate over the release of genetically modified organisms and the general concern over environmental quality. Thus, research areas focused on plant-microbe interactions are presently in a period of great excitement and growth that shows every sign of continuing far into the future. As in most research areas, the rate of advance and breadth of disciplines involved in the study of plant-microbe interactions make it impossible for the average researcher or student to stay abreast of the primary scientific literature."

Sequencing projects have revealed the presence of at least several hundred receptor kinases in a typical plant genome. Receptor kinases are therefore the largest family of primary signal transducers in plants, and their abundance suggests an immense signaling network that we have only just begun to uncover. Recent research findings indicate that individual receptor kinases fulfill important roles in growth and development, in the recognition of pathogens and symbionts or, in a few examples, in both growth and defense. This volume will focus on the roles of receptor kinases, their signaling pathways, and the ways in which these important signaling proteins are regulated.

With the predicted increase of the human population and the subsequent need for larger food supplies, root health in crop plants could play a major role in providing sustainable highly productive crops that can cope with global climate changes. While the essentiality of roots and their relation to plant performance is broadly recognized, less is known about their role in plant growth and development. Root Genomics examines how various new genomic technologies are rapidly being applied to the study of roots, including high-throughput sequencing and genotyping, TILLING, transcription factor analysis, comparative genomics, gene discovery and transcriptional profiling, post-transcriptional events regulating microRNAs, proteome profiling and the use of molecular markers such as SSRs, DArTs, and SNPs for QTL analyses and the identification of superior genes/alleles. The book also covers topics such as the molecular breeding of crops in problematic soils and the responses of roots to a variety of stresses.

Lipids in Photosynthesis provides readers with a comprehensive view of the structure, function and genetics of lipids in plants, algae and bacteria, with special emphasis on the photosynthetic apparatus in thylakoid membranes. This volume includes the historical background of the field, as well as a full review of our current understanding of the structure and molecular organization of lipids and their role in the functions of photosynthetic membranes. The physical properties of membrane lipids in thylakoid membranes and their relationship to photosynthesis are also discussed. Other topics include the biosynthesis of glycerolipids and triglycerides; reconstitution of photosynthetic structures and activities with lipids; lipid-protein interactions in the import of proteins into chloroplasts; the development of thylakoid membranes as it relates to lipids; genetic engineering of the unsaturation of membrane glycerolipids, with a focus on the ability of the photosynthetic machinery to tolerate temperature stress; and the involvement of chloroplast lipids in the reactions of plants upon exposure to stress. This book is intended for a wide audience and should be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and to researchers active in the field, as well as to those scientists whose fields of specialization include the biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, biophysics and biotechnology of membranes.

Advances In Plant Nutrition, Volume Three, is the latest edition to Tinker's and Lauchli's series on major research efforts in plant nutrition. It synthesizes both basic and applied information in such areas as soil-plant relations, nutritional physiology, and plant nutrition technology. This combination of both fundamental and applied topics is a thorough and substantial coverage of plant nutrition, and will supplement the first two volumes. Researchers in agriculture, plant physiology, botany, forestry, and soil science will find this an invaluable resource, as will industrial and commercial producers of fertilizers who wish to be up to date on relevant topics. This comprehensive work contains six papers by experts in the field. The first essay discusses the difficult area of measuring intercell material flow via membranes, while the second explains chlorine as both a plant nutrient and osmotic balancing ion. The role of root exudates in nutrient acquistion is the topic of the third paper; plant nutrition in flood soil is the basis for the fourth. The next essay addresses how plants adopt different growth strategies in the often nutrient-poor natural environment. Finally, the background of leaf analysis systems is explored.

Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants: Concepts and Approaches is the ninth volume in the Plant Ecophysiology series. It presents a broad overview of topics related to improvement of nutrient use efficiency of crops. Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a measure of how well plants use the available mineral nutrients. It can be defined as yield (biomass) per unit input (fertilizer, nutrient content). NUE is a complex trait: it depends on the ability to take up the nutrients from the soil, but also on transport, storage, mobilization, usage within the plant, and even on the environment. NUE is of particular interest as a major target for crop improvement. Improvement of NUE is an essential pre-requisite for expansion of crop production into marginal lands with low nutrient availability but also a way to reduce use of inorganic fertilizer.

The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook, Third Edition, Volume Two: Organellar and Metabolic Processes has been fully revised and updated to include a wealth of new resources for the Chlamydomonas community. Long known for its comprehensive insights into this highly multidisciplinary topic, this edition includes new views on Chlamydomonas branched electron transfer pathways in photosynthesis, the organization of pyrenoids and CO2 concentration mechanisms, and the fermentative-aspects of dark metabolism. Further, the book covers Chlamydomonas and its use in microalgae biotechnology. In addition to updates to previous editions, this book presents the latest in research and best practices, thus making it a must-have resource for those working with the Chlamydomonas organism.

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.

Genetic erosions in plant cell cultures, especially in chromosome number and ploidy level, have now been known for over 25 years. Until the mid -1970ssuch changes were consideredundesirable and thereforediscarded because the main emphasis wason clonal propagation and genetic stability of cultures. However, since the publication on somaclonal variation by Larkin and Scowcroft (1981) there has been a renewed interest to utilize these in vitro obtained variations for crop improvement. Studies conduc- ted during the last decade have shown that callus cultures, especially on peridical subculturing over an extended period of time, undergo morpho- logical and genetic changes, i. e. polyploidy, aneuploidy, chromosome breakage, deletions, translocations, gene amplification, inversions, muta- tions, etc. In addition, there are changes at the molecular and biochemical levelsincluding changes in the DNA, enzymes,proteins, etc. Suchchanges are now intentionally induced, and useful variants are selected. For instance in agricultural crops such as potato, tomato, tobacco, maize, rice and sugarcane, plants showing tolerance to a number of diseases, viruses, herbicides and salinity, have been isolated in cell cultures. Likewise induction of male sterility in rice, and wheat showing various levels of fer- tility and gliadin, have been developed in vitro. These academic excercises open new avenues for plant breeders and pathologists. Another area of tremendous commercial importance in the pharmaceuti- cal industry is the selection of cell lines showing high levels of medicinal and industrial compounds. Already high shikonin containing somaclones in Lithospermum are being used commercially.

The genetic work that has been carried out with volume, and especially in Section V 'Germplasm crop plants indicates that many nutritional charac- resources and creation of genotypes for specific teristics are independently inherited and could be environmental including low input systems', is selected for a breeding program. evident. This can be considered as genuine progress This volume presents the proceedings of the in the direction of an effective use of nutrients by 'Third International Symposium on Genetic plants. Aspects of Plant Mineral Nutrition' held in We look forward to more advances in our un- Braunschweig 1988, and demonstrates the wide derstanding of the mechanisms involved in the acceptance that cultivars respond differently to nutrient efficiency of crop plants and in the nutritional and stress factors. An improved re- development and improvement of screening sponse of cultivars to nutrients and stress con- techniques at the Fourth Symposium to be held in ditions is accessible via screening, selection and Australia in 1991. breeding of the available plant genetic resources and will help to reduce the inputs and to protect the N. EI Bassam environment. M.Dambroth The contribution of the plant breeders in this B. c. Loughman XI N. El Bassam et al. (Eds.), Genetic aspects a/plant mineral nutrition, 1-7. PLSO PN 122 (c) 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 10th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was held in Goslar, Germany September 1-4, 2015. The focus of this workshop was on the fundamental, environmental and agricultural aspects of sulfur in plants, and presents an overview of the progress in the research developments in this field in the 28 years since the first of these workshops. The volume covers various aspects of the regulation of the uptake and assimilation of sulfate in plants from a molecular to a whole plant level with an emphasis on the significance of sulfur metabolism in plant responses to stress and in food security.

This volume presents a comprehensive overview of contemporary methods to analyze photorespiration in higher plants. 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, Photorespiration: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

Plant reproductive biology has undergone a revolution during the past five years, with the cloning, sequencing and localization of the genes important in reproduction. These advantages in plant molecular biology have led to exciting applications in plant biotechnology, including the genetic engineering of male sterility and other reproductive processes. This book presents an interesting and contemporary account of these new developments from the scientists in whose laboratories they have been made. The chapters focus on two areas: the molecular biology of self-incompatibility, which is the system of self-recognition controlled by the S-gene and related genes; and the cellular and molecular biology of pollen development and genetic dissection of male sterility. Some chapters feature Arabidopsis, with its unique genetic system. Reproduction is vital for seed production in crop plants, and this book presents new approaches to manipulate plant breeding systems for the 21st century.