This is the 5th edition of a well-established book Principles of Plant Nutrition which was first published in 1978. The same format is maintained as in previous editions with the primary aim of the authors to consider major processes in soils and plants that are of relevance to plant nutrition.This new edition gives an up-to-date account of the scientific advances of the subject by making reference to about 2000 publications. An outstanding feature of the book, which distinguishes it from others, is its wide approach encompassing not only basic nutrition and physiology, but also practical aspects of plant nutrition involving fertilizer usage and crop production of direct importance to human nutrition. Recognizing the international readership of the book, the authors, as in previous editions, have attempted to write in a clear concise style of English for the benefit of the many readers for whom English is not their mother tongue. The book will be of use to undergraduates and postgraduates in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry and Ecology as well as those researching in Plant Nutrition.

Sulphur (S) plays a pivotal role in various plant growth and development processes being a constituent of sulphur-containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine, and other metabolites viz., glutathione and phytochelatins, co-factor of enzymes which contribute to stress repair and amelioration of heavy metal toxicity. Besides, a number of S-containing components are biologically active and, thus, a source for use as medicinal value. The basic global issue before the agricultural scientist and world community is to evolve cultivars and develop methodologies for efficient use of inputs to enhance agricultural productivity. This is particularly true of the developing countries which are going to see maximum rise in population with changing food demands and declining availability of land. Amongst the inputs, nutrients play a crucial role. The major requirement is for N, P and K followed by several micro-nutrients. In this context reports of world-wide S deficiency in the agricultural systems are relevant. The reasons are many. Broadly speaking reduction inS emission, use of S-free N, P and K fertilizers and higher biomass production contributed the maximum. Despite the need for sulphur as an essential plant nutrient and the substantial returns expected from its use, very little attention has been given to fill the gap between supply and demand of S.

Does perception provide us with direct and unmediated access to the world around us? The so-called 'argument from illusion ' has traditionally been supposed to show otherwise: from the subject's point of view, perceptual illusions are often indistinguishable from veridical perceptions; hence, perceptual experience, as such, cannot provide us with knowledge of the world, but only with knowledge of how things appear to us. Disjunctive accounts of perceptual experience, first proposed by John McDowell and Paul Snowdon in the early 1980s and at the centre of current debates in the philosophy of perception, have been proposed to block this argument. According to the traditional view, a case of perception and a subjectively indistinguishable illusion or hallucination can exemplify what is fundamentally the same kind of mental state even though they differ in how they relate to the non-mental environment. In contrast, according to the disjunctive account, the concept of perceptual experience should be seen as essentially disjunctive, encompassing (at least) two distinct kinds of mental states, namely genuinely world-involving perceptions and mere appearances. This book presents seven recent essays on disjunctivism first published in two special issues of Philosophical Explorations: An International Journal for the Philosophy of Mind and Action.

Plant-herbivore interactions are a central topic in evolutionary ecology. Historically, their study has been a cornerstone for coevolutionary theory. Starting from classic ecological studies at the phenotypic level, it has since expanded to molecular and genomic approaches. After a historical perspective, the book's subsequent chapters cover a wide range of topics: from populations to ecosystems; plant- and herbivore-focused studies; in natural and in man-modified ecosystems; and both micro- and macro-evolutionary levels. All chapters include valuable background information and empirical evidence. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to both students and researchers, and will hopefully stimulate further research in this exciting field of evolutionary biology.

Auxin is an important signaling compound in plants and vital for plant development and growth. The present book, Auxin and its Role in Plant Development, provides the reader with detailed and comprehensive insight into the functioning of the molecule on the whole and specifically in plant development. In the first part, the functioning, metabolism and signaling pathways of auxin in plants are explained, the second part depicts the specific role of auxin in plant development and the third part describes the interaction and functioning of the signaling compound upon stimuli of the environment. Each chapter is written by international experts in the respective field and designed for scientists and researchers in plant biology, plant development and cell biology to summarize the recent progress in understanding the role of auxin and suggest future perspectives for auxin research.

Trees that are indispensably supportive to human life pose a formidable challenge to breed them to suit to human needs. From soft drinks to breweries to beverages to oil to tires, the value added products from trees give a spectrum of products to human kind. While attempts to tap these resources through conventional breeding are underway, the quick and elegant way of manipulating the genetic systems at the genome level is an essential chapter of modern science. Books featuring genomics of tree crops are few, and genomics is such a science that changes rapidly. Genomics of Tree Crops is an earnest attempt towards compiling genomics of tree crops. Plant genomics has made monumental strides in the last decade providing insights into intra-genomic phenomena such as heterosis, epistasis, pleiotropy and other interactions between loci and alleles within the genome. In contrast, the investigation of the roles and functions of single genes is a primary focus of molecular biology and is a common topic of modern genetic research. A genome is the sum total of all of an individual organism's genes. Thus, genomics is the study of all the genes of a cell, or tissue, at the DNA (genotype), mRNA (transcriptome), or protein (proteome) levels. The complete sequencing of the three billion base pair human genome with 25,000 genes identified and the invention of DNA microarrays ushered in a new era in the science of genomics leading to explosive advancements in oncology diagnostics. This impetus into the genomics era lead the way toward advances in plant genomics which started with Arabidopsis thaliana and went through an array of crops such as rice, maize, papaya, various cereals and legumes, with pigeon pea added to the list towards the end of 2011. Trees, on the other hand, are the least attended taxa with regard to genomic research. Some of the areas that attained attention of the scientists are: DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, genomics of flowering, gene flow, spatial structure, local adaptation and assisted migration in trees, transformation of fruit trees, genomics of tropical and temperate fruit trees, genomics of Hevea rubber, genomics of papaya and genomics of palms. Genomics of Tree Crops compiles this information with chapters authored by experts on these crops.

The book "Salicylic acid: A Plant Hormone" was first published in 1997 and was praised for its excellent balance of traditional and modern topics. This time, we're building on the success of the prior edition to provide an even more effective second edition. The present book is comprised of 16 chapters highlighting the updated mechanisms of its biosynthesis, physiological role, its action in response to water deficit, relationship of SA with signal transduction, transport of SA and related compounds. Further, the interplay between environmental signals and SA, its impact on transport and distribution of sugars, salicylic acid mediated stress-induced flowering and some aspects of interplay of SA with JA during the establishment of plant resistance to pathogens with different types of nutrition and participation of peroxidases have also been discussed at length. Potential use of SA in food production and its efficiency on post-harvest of perishable crops as well as practical use of SA are also covered. "

Volumes I and 2 of this Plant Biotechnology series reviewed fundamental aspects of plant molecular biology and discussed production and analysis of the first generation of transgenic plants of potential use in agriculture and horticulture. These included plants resistant to insects, viruses and herbicides, which were produced by adding genes from other organisms. Realisation of the potential of plant breeding has led to a resurgence of interest in methods of altering the structure, composition and function of plant constituents, which represents an even greater challenge and offers scope for improving the quality of a wide range of agricultural products. This, in tum, has resulted in a re-evaluation of priorities and targets by industry. Volume 3 of this series considers the biochemical and gentic basis of the biosynthesis of plant products such as starch, lipids, carotenoids and cell walls, and evaluates the ways in which biosynthesis of these products can be modified for use in the food industries. Authors also cover the biosynthesis of rare secondary products and the function and application of proteins for plant protection and therapeutic use. The emphasis throughout is on the relationship between fundamen tal aspects of biosynthesis and structure-function relationships, and application of this knowledge to the redesigning and altering of plant products by molecular genetics."

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance.

" Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Growth Responses " describes the application of various bacteria in plant growth promotion and protection, including symbiotic, free living, rhizospheric, endophytic, methylotrophic, diazotrophic and filamentous species.

Understanding seed-related processes is of major social, environmental, and economic concern. The viability and vigor of seeds are the very basis for sustainable agriculture and forestry, and comprehending the molecular and cellular events underlying these processes will become increasingly important to many economical sectors and for species that provide the world's food supply. Seed Dormancy: Methods and Protocols covers analytical methods and approaches which have already lead to significant advances in the understanding of seed dormancy and germination. Chapters cover explanations of processes leading to the induction, maintenance, and termination of seed dormancy, the classification of different dormancy types, as well as an overview of protocols used for dormancy-termination of seeds of conifer species. This volume emphasizes methods essential for abscisic acid (ABA) analyses, including methods that have been important for receptor identification, analyses of ABA-catabolizing enzymes (the 8'-hydroxylases), and identification of novel signal transduction components, interacting partners, and/or response factors. The volume closes by addressing the development of new technologies, including spectroscopic methods (some of which allow for non-destructive sampling) as well as highly effective tissue-printing methods for seed dormancy research. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Seed Dormancy: Methods and Protocols features detailed methods that will prove invaluable for both applied and fundamental seed research.

Plant innate immunity is a potential surveillance system of plants and is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The immune system is a sleeping system in unstressed healthy plants and is activated on perception of the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP; the pathogen s signature) of invading pathogens. The PAMP alarm/danger signals are perceived by plant pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). The plant immune system uses several second messengers to encode information generated by the PAMPs and deliver the information downstream of PRRs to proteins which decode/interpret signals and initiate defense gene expression. This book describes the most fascinating PAMP-PRR signaling complex and signal transduction systems. It also discusses the highly complex networks of signaling pathways involved in transmission of the signals to induce distinctly different defense-related genes to mount offence against pathogens."

This book results from a symposium on the theme of 'The Physiology and Biochemistry of Plant Productivity' which was held at the University of Calgary from July 14-18, 1980, and was jointly sponsored by the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists and the International Association of Plant Physiologists. The subject matter of the book deals with various aspects of nitrogen and carbon metabolism, their interrelationships and interdependence. The topics covered in the chapters highlight various interesting and important lines of research that are in progress. There is no attempt to provide a comprehensive coverage of the basic physiological knowledge upon which this research depend- important references are to be found at the end of each chapter, however, and the reader will be able to pursue these as necessary. An introductory chapter by Dr. R.G.S. Bidwell (winner of the C.S.P.P. Gold Medal in 1979) considers some implications of plant physiological research and the aims and responsibilities of plant physiologists. In the next two chapters Drs. J. Rigaud and L.E. Schrader (with R.J. Thomas) elaborate on current research on nitrate metabolism and nitrogen fixation, and how an understanding of these phenomena might be usefully applied towards the manipulation of plants to improve productivity. Dr. J.S.

Tropical climates, which occur between 23 Degrees30'N and S latitude (Jacob 1988), encompass a wide variety of plant communities (Hartshorn 1983, 1988), many of which are diverse in their woody floras. Within this geographic region, temperature and the amount and seasonality of rainfall define habitat types (UNESCO 1978). The F AO has estimated that there 1 are about 19 million km of potentially forested area in the global tropics, of which 58% were estimated to still be in closed forest in the mid-1970s (Sommers 1976; UNESCO 1978). Of this potentially forested region, 42% is categorized as dry forest lifezone, 33% is tropical moist forest, and 25% is wet or rain forest (Lugo 1988). The species diversity of these tropical habitats is very high. Raven (1976, in Mooney 1988) estimated that 65% of the 250,000 or more plant species of the earth are found in tropical regions. Of this floristic assemblage, a large fraction are woody species. In the well-collected tropical moist forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama, 39. 7% (481 of 1212 species) of the native phanerogams are woody, arborescent species (Croat 1978). Another 21. 9% are woody vines and lianas. Southeast Asian Dipterocarp forests may contain 120-200 species of trees per hectare (Whitmore 1984), and recent surveys in upper Amazonia re corded from 89 to 283 woody species ~ 10 cm dbh per hectare (Gentry 1988). Tropical communities thus represent a global woody flora of significant scope.

This book addresses the impact of important climatic changes on plant pests (including weeds, diseases and insect pests), and their interactions with crop plants. Anthropogenic activities have seriously impacted the global climate. As a result, carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature levels of the earth are on a continuous rise. The global temperature is expected to increase by a 3 DegreesC or more by the end of this century. The CO2 concentration was below 300 parts per million (ppm) before the start of the industrial era; however, recently it has exceeded 400 ppm. This is highest ever in human history. Other than global warming and elevated CO2 concentrations, anthropogenic activities have also disturbed the global water cycle, ultimately, impacting the quantity and distribution of rainfall. This has resulted in drought conditions in many parts of the world. Global warming, elevated CO2 concentration and drought are considered the most important recent climatic changes that are impacting global ecosystems and human societies. Among other impacts, the effects of climatic changes on pests, pest-crop interactions and pest control are important with relevance to global food security, and hence require immediate attention by plant scientists. This book discusses innovative and the most effective pest control methods under an environment of changing climate and elaborates on the impact of drought on plant pests and their control.

This book provides a comprehensive review of all aspects of the molecular and cell biology of abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism, transport and signal transduction, covering our current understanding of ABA as well as research trends. The agricultural significance of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction is also discussed. The phytohormone ABA regulates many aspects of plant development and plays a central role in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Over the past few decades, considerable advances have been made in the study of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction, greatly deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ABA function at the molecular, cell and whole-plant level and helping us improve crops' environmental tolerance. This book provides a valuable resource for researchers and advanced students interested in plant biology and agriculture.

Every year between three and four hundred papers are published on the topic of insulin action. This extraordinary publication rate prevents any author from includ ing an exhaustive bibliography in any review or book. Perhaps due to this there is no single text that attempts to cover the effects and the mechanism of action of insulin. This book is such an attempt. I intend to present a review of the physiological effects of insulin, the pathology of defects in the action of insulin, and the current views on the mechanism of action of this hormone. I make no apology for the fact that the bibliography will not be extensive and that the amount of experimental detail and data discussed will be kept to a relevant minimum. This book is not intended for the expert in the field, but for the second- or third-year undergraduate and graduate student of medicine, biochemistry, physiology or related disciplines, and will be valuable as a reference source for research workers. The book is presented as a guide, a summary of the ideas and facts; it will present a reader with a foretaste of a fascinating and ever-changing field. I have attempted to be up-to-date with published research work. Any significant contributions to the field not included in the first draft have been added as footnotes. I assume a basic knowledge of the metabolic pathways of carbohydrates, fats and proteins."

Epigenetics commonly acts at the chromatin level modulating its structure and consequently its function in gene expression and as such plays a critical role in plant response to internal and external cues. This book highlights recent advances in our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms as a major determinant through which internal and external signals, such as those occurring during hybridization, flowering time, reproduction and response to stress, communicate with plant cells to bring about activation of multiple nuclear processes and consequently plant growth and development. The outcome of these processes may persist for generations long after the initial cues have expired and may contribute to plant evolution.

This book presents the latest information on tropical tree physiology, making it a valuable research tool for a wide variety of researchers. It is also of general interest to ecologists (e.g. Ecological Society of America; > 3000 or 4000 members at annual meeting), physiologists (e.g. American Society of Plant Biologists; > 2,000 members at annual meeting), and tropical biologists (e.g. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, ATBC; > 500 members at annual meeting). (American Geophysical Union(AGU), > 20000 members at annual meeting). Since plant physiology is taught at every university that offers a life sciences, forestry or agricultural program, and physiology is a focus at research institutes and agencies worldwide, the book is a must-have for university and research institution libraries.

Cold stress is one of the prevalent environmental stresses affecting crop productivity, particularly in temperate regions. Numerous plant types of tropical or subtropical origin are injured or killed by non-freezing low temperature, and display a range of symptoms of chilling injury such as chlorosis, necrosis, or growth retardation. In contrast, chilling tolerant species thrive well at such temperatures. To thrive under cold stress conditions, plants have evolved complex mechanisms to identify peripheral signals that allow them to counter varying environmental conditions. These mechanisms include stress perception, signal transduction, transcriptional activation of stress-responsive target genes, and synthesis of stress-related proteins and other molecules, which help plants to strive through adverse environmental conditions. Conventional breeding methods have met with limited success in improving the cold tolerance of important crop plants through inter-specific or inter-generic hybridization. A better understanding of physiological, biochemical and molecular responses and tolerance mechanisms, and discovery of novel stress-responsive pathways and genes may contribute to efficient engineering strategies that enhance cold stress tolerance. It is therefore imperative to accelerate the efforts to unravel the biochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying cold stress tolerance in plants. Through this new book, we intend to integrate the contributions from plant scientists targeting cold stress tolerance mechanisms using physiological, biochemical, molecular, structural and systems biology approaches. It is hoped that this collection will serve as a reference source for those who are interested in or are actively engaged in cold stress research.

In plant cells, the plasma membrane is a highly elaborated structure that functions as the point of exchange with adjoining cells, cell walls and the external environment. Transactions at the plasma membrane include uptake of water and essential mineral nutrients, gas exchange, movement of metabolites, transport and perception of signaling molecules, and initial responses to external biota. Selective transporters control the rates and direction of small molecule movement across the membrane barrier and manipulate the turgor that maintains plant form and drives plant cell expansion. The plasma membrane provides an environment in which molecular and macromolecular interactions are enhanced by the clustering of proteins in oligimeric complexes for more efficient retention of biosynthetic intermediates, and by the anchoring of protein complexes to promote regulatory interactions. The coupling of signal perception at the membrane surface with intracellular second messengers also involves transduction across the plasma membrane. Finally, the generation and ordering of the external cell walls involves processes mediated at the plant cell surface by the plasma membrane. This volume is divided into three sections. The first section describes the basic mechanisms that regulate all plasma membrane functions. The second describes plasma membrane transport activity. The final section of the book describes signaling interactions at the plasma membrane. These topics are given a unique treatment in this volume, as the discussions are restricted to the plasma membrane itself as much as possible. A more complete knowledge of the plasma membrane's structure and function is essential to current efforts to increase the sustainability of agricultural production of food, fiber, and fuel crops.

Compartmentation in Aromatic Metabolism; F. Hrazdina. Immunolocalization of Flavonoid Conjugates and their Enzymes; R.K. Ibrahim. General Phenylpropanoid Metalbolism; C.J. Douglas, et al. Molecular Biology of Stress-Induced Phenylpropanoid and Isoflavonoid Biosynthesis in Alfalfa; R.A. Dixon, et al. Biosynthesis and Metabolism of Isoflavones and Pterocarpan Phytoalexins in Chickpea, Soybean, and Phytopathogenic Fungi; W. Barz, R. Welle. Flavonoid Synthesis in Petunia Hybrida; A.G.M. Gerats, C. Martin. Flavonoids; D.A. Phillips. Flavonoid Sulfation; L. Varin. Synthesis and Base-Catalyzed Transformations of Proanthocyanidins; D. Ferreira, et al. Enzymatic Synthesis of Gallotanins and Related Compounds G.G. Gross. Enantioselective Separations in Phytochemsitry; L.B. Davin, et al. The Phytochemical Society of North America; S.A. Brown. Index.

Plants cannot move away from their environments. As a result, all plants that have survived to date have evolved sophisticated signaling mechanisms that allow them to perceive, respond, and adapt to constantly changing environmental conditions. Among the many cellular processes that respond to environmental changes, elevation of calcium levels is by far the most universal messenger that matches primary signals to cellular responses. Yet it remains unclear how calcium, a simple cation, translates so many different signals into distinct responses - how is the "specificity" of signal-response coupling encoded within the calcium changes? This book will attempt to answer this question by describing the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the coding and decoding of calcium signals in plant cells.

As this book will demonstrate, there have been numerousdevelopments in the instrumentation and approaches for use ofchlorophyll fluorescence as a probe to plant adaptation to anenvironment or as an indicator of the level of stress. The advantageof chlorophyll fluorescence over many other techniques is that itprovides rapid and nondestructive measures. The first two chapters ofthis book are devoted to provide a clear, understandable explanationof the theoretical basis for chlorophyll fluorescence analysis. Thedefinitions and terminology that are specific to chlorophyllfluorescence analysis are included in this discussion, which leads tothe bridging of chlorophyll fluorescence analysis to plant tissuecondition status. Subsequent chapters focus on the monitoring ofstress in the natural terrestrial and aquatic environments, assessingseedling quality in forestry, and postharvest quality in fruits andvegetables. A final chapter is devoted to a newly emerging use for thetechnique in plant breeding programs. It is the hope of the editorsand authors that readers who have not used this technique will beencouraged to explore the possibilities in their area of study. Forthose who have used the technique previously, we hope that this bookwill offer some new insights, which may encourage development and/orrefinement of approaches. Ultimately, we hope that the contents ofthis work will contribute in some manner to advances in theunderstanding of plant-environment interactions and hence toimprovements in the environmental quality, as well as in forestry andagri-food industries.

The germ plasm of numerous plant species, especially those of forest trees, some agricultural crops, and medicinal plants, is endangered and threatened with extinction. This depletion of germplasm pools and the shrinkage of naturally occurring genetic resources have caused international concern. Conventionally, the germplasm of plants is conserved through seeds, tubers, roots, corms, rhizomes, bulbs, cuttings, etc. However, the germ plasm of a number of trees and plantation crops (such as coconut, cocao, coffee, oil palm, rubber, mango, horse chestnut, etc. ) cannot be preserved since their seed are short-lived (recalcitrant). Likewise, germplasm of vegetatively propagated crops (such as potato and cassava) cannot be stored on a long term basis and has to be grown and multiplied periodically in nurseries and fields. The plants are thus exposed to unpredictable weather conditions and diseases, with the result that instances are known where entire genetic stocks are lost. Therefore, unconventional methods are being developed for the storage and international exchange of germplasm. For this purpose in vitro cultures have been employed, but they can only enable short-to medium term preservation; moreover, cell cultures upon repeated subculture undergo genetic erosion. In view of the recent developments in the in vitro induction of genetic variability through somaclonal variation, somatic hybridization, recombinant DNA technology, etc., new methods need to be employed for the storage of desirable cultures. In this regard freeze preservation of cells in liquid nitrogen (-196 0q, like that of semen, enables long-term storage, theoretically, for an indefinite period of time."

The nutritive endosperm of angiosperms is mankind 's most important source of food, livestock feed and industrial raw material. This book is the first comprehensive overview of the developmental and molecular biology of endosperm. The text covers cereal endosperm development from fertilization to maturity, including molecular and cell biology of the syncytial phase. It also goes into the cellularization process and cell fate specification of the embryo surrounding region cells, the basal transfer cells, the starchy endosperm and aleurone cells.