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.

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.

Endocytosis is a fundamental cellular process by means of which cells internalize extracellular and plasma membrane cargos for recycling or degradation. It is important for the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity, subcellular signaling and uptake of nutrients into specialized cells, but also for plant cell interactions with pathogenic and symbiotic microbes. Endocytosis starts by vesicle formation at the plasma membrane and progresses through early and late endosomal compartments. In these endosomes cargo is sorted and it is either recycled back to the plasma membrane, or degraded in the lytic vacuole. This book presents an overview of our current knowledge of endocytosis in plants with a main focus on the key molecules undergoing and regulating endocytosis. It also provides up to date methodological approaches as well as principles of protein, structural lipid, sugar and microbe internalization in plant cells. The individual chapters describe clathrin-mediated and fluid-phase endocytosis, as well as flotillin-mediated endocytosis and internalization of microbes. The book was written for a broad spectrum of readers including students, teachers and researchers.

Plant-based medicines play an important role in all cultures, and have been indispensable in maintaining health and combating diseases. The identification of active principles and their molecular targets from traditional medicine provides an enormous opportunity for drug development. Using modern biotechnology, plants with specific chemical compositions can be mass propagated and genetically improved for the extraction of bulk active pharmaceuticals. Although there has been significant progress in the use of biotechnology, using tissue cultures and genetic transformation to investigate and alter pathways for the biosynthesis of target metabolites, there are many challenges involved in bringing plants from the laboratory to successful commercial cultivation. This book presents the latest advances in the development of medicinal drugs, including topics such as plant tissue cultures, secondary metabolite production, metabolomics, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics and future biotechnological directions.

Cotton production today is not to be undertaken frivolously if one expects to profit by its production. If cotton production is to be sustainable and produced profitably, it is essential to be knowledgeable about the growth and development of the cotton plant and in the adaptation of cultivars to the region as well as the technology available. In addition, those individuals involved in growing cotton should be familiar with the use of management aids to know the most profitable time to irrigate, apply plant growth regulators, herbicides, foliar fertilizers, insecticides, defoliants, etc. The chapters in this book were assembled to provide those dealing with the production of cotton with the basic knowledge of the physiology of the plant required to manage the cotton crop in a profitable manner.

Malformation disease of mango (Mangifera indica) initially noted in patches in India has now turned into a global menace wherever mango is grown. The challenge posed by the problem attracted interest of Scientists from various disciplines, continue to do so, and will attract their attention until the problem is understood threadbare, and resolved. For a long time, due to complex nature of the disease, the cause and causal agent was both hotly debated. Only in recent years, the issue of the etiology of the disease has been resolved, epidemiology has been worked out to a large extent and silver bullet control measures have been replaced by IPM strategy based on the information generated on the physiology of pathogenesis and epidemiology of the disease.

The past two decades have seen rapid advances in the technology used to produce pot plants. Glasshouses designed and orientated to give maxi mum light transmission, fully automatic heating and ventilating systems, carbon dioxide enrichment of the atmosphere, controlled photoperiods using automatic blackouts and incandescent lamps which enable plants such as chrysanthemum to be flowered at any time of the year, mist propagation techniques, chemical growth regulators which control the height of plants, automatic watering and feeding systems, etc.: these are only some of the developments which have transformed pot plant culture. There have also been many changes in the composts and systems used to grow the plants. Mineral soils, which formed the basis of the John Innes composts, are now either too expensive or too difficult to obtain in suitable quality and sufficient quantity. Consequently the grower has been forced to seek other materials such as peat, perlite, vermiculite, plastic foam, shredded bark, etc. New types of fertilizers, new methods of heat sterilization and new chemical sterilizing agents are also being used.

Calcium plays pivotal role in regulating the physiological as well as developmental processes in plants. Till now, several calcium sensors have been discovered, which regulate the diverse signaling pathways involved in plant growth and development. One of the major calcium sensors CBL (calcineurin B-like) is decoding the calcium signal during various environmental stresses in plants. Calcium mediated signal is transduced downstream by CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), which generally phosphorylate the target proteins such as transcription factors or transporters/channel leading to a response. Mutant based approach has provided valuable information in the functional analysis of individual members of CBL and CIPK gene family in Arabidopsis. Both CBL and CIPK gene families have previously been identified and characterized in Arabidopsis and rice. Identification and characterization of CBLs and CIPKs in other plant species such as Oryza sativa, Pisum sativum, Cicer arietinum, Zea mays, Populus euphratica, Vitis vinifera, Malus domestica, Gossypium hirsutum, Sorghum bicolor, Brassica napus, Vicia faba, Phaseolus vulgaris, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and Triticum aestivum are still in juvenile stage. Overall, Global Comparative Analysis of CBL-CIPK Gene Families in Plants is a comprehensive study focused on the diverse role of CBL-CIPK module in different stress signaling and also to identify a newly emerging role of this calcium-signaling module in plant growth and development across different plant species. In addition, beside Arabidopsis, it will provide backbone of knowledge to perform a detail molecular investigation in crop plant species and could possibly enable in designing strategies to tame abiotic stress tolerance and development in important agronomical crop plants. This book will act as handy and informative source in this field for students as well as advanced researchers.

The entire range of the developmental processes in plants is regulated by a shift in the hormonal concentration, tissue sensitivity and their interaction with the factors operating around them. Out of the recognized hormones, attention has largely been focused on five - Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinin, Abscisic acid and Ethylene. However, the information about the most recent group of phytohormone (Brassinosteroids) has been incorporated in this book. This volume includes a selection of newly written, integrated, illustrated reviews describing our knowledge of Brassinosteroids and aims to describe them at the present time. Various chapters incorporate both theoretical and practical aspects and may serve as baseline information for future researches through which significant developments are possible. This book will be useful to the students, teachers and researchers, both in universities and research institutes, especially in relation to biological and agricultural sciences.

This third edition of the book has been completely re-written, providing a wider scope and enhanced coverage. It covers the general principles of the natural occurrence, pollution sources, chemical analysis, soil chemical behaviour and soil-plant-animal relationships of heavy metals and metalloids, followed by a detailed coverage of 21 individual elements, including: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium, tin, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and zinc. The book is highly relevant for those involved in environmental science, soil science, geochemistry, agronomy, environmental health, and environmental engineering, including specialists responsible for the management and clean-up of contaminated land.

Plants have evolved with a complex array of signaling molecules to facilitate their growth and development and their interactions with the environment. A vast number of different peptide molecules form an important but until recently often overlooked component amongst these signaling molecules. Plant peptide signals are involved in regulating meristem growth and organogenesis, modulating plant growth and homeostatic responses. They also have important roles as signals of imminent danger or pathogen attack. This volume focuses on the roles of various peptide signaling molecules in development, defence and homeostasis. As it is likely that further plant peptide signaling molecules remain to be discovered, the last section takes a practical look at methods to identify new peptides and characterise their functions.

The rapid population growth and the increase in the per capita income, especially in the group of emerging countries referred to as BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has created huge pressure for the expansion of the agricultural growing area and the crop yields to meet the rising demand. As a result, many areas that have been considered marginal for growing crops, due to their low fertility, drought, salinity, and many other abiotic stresses, have now been incorporated in the production system. Additionally, climate change has brought new challenges to agriculture to produce food, feed, fiber and biofuels. To cope with these new challenges, many plant breeding programs have reoriented their breeding scope to stress tolerance in the last years. The authors of this book have collected the most recent advances and discoveries applied to breeding for abiotic stresses in this book, starting with new physiological concepts and breeding methods, and moving on to discuss modern molecular biological approaches geared to the development of improved cultivars tolerant to most sorts of abiotic stress. Written in an easy to understand style, this book is an excellent reference work for students, scientists and farmers interested in learning how to breed for abiotic stresses scenarios, presenting the state-of-the-art in plant stresses and allowing the reader to develop a greater understanding of the basic mechanisms of tolerance to abiotic stresses and how to breed for them.

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.

The study of water stress is one of the most interesting subjects in. the investigation of water relations in plants. From the theoretical point of view it is concerned with investigating the mechanisms of the distribution and movement of water in the plant organism and the way in which physiolo gical processes are influenced by water deficiency. From the practical point of view, water deficiency is a major factor limiting plant production. It has been progressively shown that water deficiency is not by far* only a factor in plant life in dry climates, that obvious wilting is not the first warning sign of water deficiency and that moderate water stress, caused by temporary negative water balance during the day, affects physiological ac tivity and decreases prodnction in the ecological conditions of the temperate zone. In addition, even general water deficiency is not today confined to arid or semi-arid zones and to the absolutely dry season of the year. The tremend ous consumption of water in our civilization has become today, even in the temperate zone, an important competitor with the plant cover. The study of water relations from the aspect of water stress is, therefore, important both theoretically and practically. I assume, therefore, that it was useful, important and interesting to meet in a symposium on water stress in plants and to discuss, as far as possible, in detail problems which are obviously among the main, whose solution would help plant physiology in increasing and improving plant production.

A symposium entitled "The New Frontiers and Future Perspectives of Plant Bio chemistry" was held in Nagoya, Japan, September 1-3, 1981 in honor of Professor lkuzo Uritani. Recognizing his planned retirement from Nagoya University in March, 1982, the meeting was organized by Professor Uritani's Japanese colleagues and included a nurober of foreign scientists, many whom were his close friends. This volume is a compilation of the principal papers contributed for the occasion and is dedicated to Professor Uritani as an expression of the high esteem in which he is held for his outstanding achievements in the field of plant biochemistry and plant disease physiology, as well as to convey our warm personal affection and friendship. The subjects covered in the volume are diverse, reflecting the honoree's broad research interests, but at the same time articles written by experts in each field pro vide a clear picture of the current frontiers and perspectives of plant biochernistry research. The continuing development of new experimental strategies has spurred rapid and broad research advances in this field of science, and the many interesting concepts now at hand hold promise of further unique progress in the years ahead. lt is hoped that this volume will serve as a stimulating text for scientists in this field."

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 Probiotics"" discusses the current trends and future prospects of beneficial microorganisms acting as Probiotics. Topics include the application for the aboveground fitness of plants, in mountain ecosystems, in tropical and Mediterranean forests, and in muga sericulture. Further aspects are "Arabidopsis" as a model system for the diversity and complexity of plant responses, plant parasitic nematodes, nitrogen fixation and phosphorus nutrition."

Experience shows that biotic stresses occur with different levels of intensity in nearly all agricultural areas around the world. The occurrence of insects, weeds and diseases caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses may not be relevant in a specific year but they usually harm yield in most years. Global warming has shifted the paradigm of biotic stresses in most growing areas, especially in the tropical countries, sparking intense discussions in scientific forums. This book was written with the idea of collecting in a single publication the most recent advances and discoveries concerning breeding for biotic stresses, covering all major classes of biotic challenges to agriculture and food production. Accordingly, it presents the state-of-the-art in plant stresses caused by all microorganisms, weeds and insects and how to breed for them. Complementing Plant Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance, this book was written for scientists and students interested in learning how to breed for biotic stress scenarios, allowing them to develop a greater understanding of the basic mechanisms of resistance to biotic stresses and develop resistant cultivars.

Along the undisturbed shores, especially of the Mediterranean Sea and the European North Atlantic Ocean, is a quite widespread plant called Beta maritima by botanists, or more commonly sea beet. Nothing, for the inexperienced observer's eye, distinguishes it from surrounding wild vegetation. Despite its inconspicuous and nearly invisible flowers, the plant has had and will have invaluable economic and scientific importance. Indeed, according to Linne, it is considered "the progenitor of the beet crops possibly born from Beta maritima in some foreign country". Recent molecular research confirmed this lineage. Selection applied after domestication has created many cultivated types with different destinations. The wild plant always has been harvested and used both for food and as a medicinal herb. Sea beet crosses easily with the cultivated types. This facilitates the transmission of genetic traits lost during domestication, which selection processes aimed only at features immediately useful to farmers and consumers may have depleted. Indeed, as with several crop wild relatives, Beta maritima has been successfully used to improve cultivated beet's genetic resistances against many diseases and pests. In fact, sugar beet cultivation currently would be impossible in many countries without the recovery of traits preserved in the wild germplasm. Dr. Enrico Biancardi graduated from Bologna University. From 1977 until 2009, he was involved in sugar beet breeding activity by the Istituto Sperimentale per le Colture Industriali (ISCI) formerly Stazione Sperimentale di Bieticoltura (Rovigo, Italy), where he released rhizomania and cercospora resistant germplasm and collected seeds of Mediterranean sea beet populations as a genetic resource for breeding and ex situ conservation. Retired since 2009, he still collaborates with several working breeders, in particular, at the USDA Agricultural Research Stations, at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS), and at the Athens University (AUA). He has edited books, books chapters and authored more than 150 papers. Dr. Lee Panella is a plant breeder and geneticist with the USDA-ARS at Fort Collins, Colorado. He earned his B.S. in Crop and Soil Science from Michigan State University, an M.S. in Plant Breeding from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California at Davis. His research focus is developing disease resistant germplasm using sugar beet wild relatives. He is chairman of the USDA-ARS Sugar Beet Crop Germplasm Committee and has collected and worked extensively with sea beet. Dr. Robert T. Lewellen was raised on a ranch in Eastern Oregon and obtained a B.S. in Crop Science from Oregon State University followed by a Ph.D. from Montana State University in Genetics. From 1966 to 2008 he was a research geneticist for the USDA-ARS at Salinas, California, where he studied the genetics of sugar beet and as a plant breeder, often used sea beet as a genetic source to produce many pest and disease resistant sugar beet germplasm and parental lines, while authoring more than 100 publications.

Precise regulation of gene expression in both time and space is vital to plant growth, development and adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. This is achieved by multiple mechanisms, with perhaps the most important control being exerted at the level of transcription. However, with the recent discovery of microRNAs another ubiquitous mode of gene regulation that occurs at the post-transcriptional level has been identified. MicroRNAs can silence gene expression by targeting complementary or partially complementary mRNAs for degradation or translational inhibition. Recent studies have revealed that microRNAs play fundamental roles in plant growth and development, as well as in adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. This book highlights the roles of individual miRNAs that control and regulate diverse aspects of plant processes.

Rice is the staple food for half of the world s population. Consumption of rice is the major exposure route globally to the class one, non-threshold carcinogen inorganic arsenic. This book explains the sources of arsenic to paddy soils and the biogeochemical processes and plant physiological attributes of paddy soil-rice ecosystems that lead to high concentrations of arsenic in rice grain. It presents the global pattern of arsenic concentration and speciation in rice, discusses human exposures to inorganic arsenic from rice and the resulting health risks. It also highlights particular populations that have the highest rice consumptions, which include Southern and South East Asians, weaning babies, gluten intolerance sufferers and those consuming rice milk. The book also presents the information of arsenic concentration and speciation in other major crops and outlines approaches for lowering arsenic in rice grain and in the human diet through agronomic management."

This book contains the proceedings of a symposium, held in the Limburgs Universitair Centrum, Diepenbeek, Belgium, from July 23 to 29, 1978.1t can be considered as a continuation of the publication 'Environmental and Biological Control of Photosynthesis' (Dr. W. Junk b.v. Publishers, The Hague, 1975). In the last meeting, however, emphasis was much more on the biological control of photosynthesis. The sequence of the different topic sessions and papers on the symposium programme is maintained in the publication; the editors are aware of the fact that different contributions might figure equally well in more than one session. A limited number of speakers was invited; time for discussion therefore could generously be provided to the audience. We thank all the participants for their active contribution to the success of this conception of organizing a meeting. The quality of a discussion session also depends on the performance of the discussion leader; thanks are due to Drs. G. Bernier, J.J. Landsberg, C.J. Pearson, R. Sachs, I.A. Tamas and K.J. Treharne who took the chair with scientific authority and enthusiasm. In order to keep in memory the flavor of this aspect of the meeting, an account of the discussion on one particular topic, the relationship between photosynthesis and flowering, was made by Dr. R. Sachs (reporter) and Dr. G. Bernier (discussion leader) and is published here after the reports on this topic.

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.

Metal contamination is an increasing ecological and eco-toxicological risk. Understanding the processes involved in metal mobilization, sorption and mineralization in soils are key features for soil bioremediation.

Following an introduction to the physical, chemical and biological components of contaminated soils, various chapters address the interactions of soil, microorganisms, plants and the water phase necessary to transfer metals into biological systems. These include topics such as potential hazards at mining sites; rare earth elements in biotic and abiotic acidic systems; manganese redox reactions; biomineralisation, uranium in seepage water; metal-resistant streptomycetes; mycorrhiza in re-forestation; metal (hyper)accummulation in plants; microbial metal uptake; and their potential for bioremediation.

This book will be of interest to soil biologists, geologists and chemists, researchers and graduate students, as well as consulting companies and small enterprises involved in bioremediation.

Secretions and emissions in biological systems play important signaling roles within the organism but also in its communications with the surrounding environment. This volume brings together state-of-the-art information on the role of secretions and emissions in different organs and organisms ranging from flowers and roots of plants to nematodes and human organs. The plant chapters relate information regarding the biochemistry of flower volatiles and root exudates, and their role in attracting pollinators and soil microbial communities respectively. Microbial chapters explain the biochemistry and ecology of quorum sensing and how microbial communities highly co-adapted to plants can aid in bio-energy applications by degrading ligno-cellulosic materials. Other chapters explain the biology of secretions by nematodes, algae and humans, among other organisms. This volume will be a welcome addition to the literature, as no other book covers aspects related to biological secretion in such a holistic and integrative manner.