This volume contains a collection of papers on the anatomy, physiology and action of stomata by experts in the field, presented in a form suitable for students of botany and plant science, and related subjects such as agriculture, forestry, and horticulture, at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Special care has been taken to ensure that the book can be used as a text for undergraduate courses in plant, environmental and cell physiology at a reasonably advanced level. It provides an up-to-date assessment of our knowledge of stomata and the articles include: the structure and development of stomata; the measurement of stomatal aperture and conductance; the ion exchanges and metabolism of guard cells; work on isolated guard-cell protoplasts; the responses of stomata to a wide range of stimuli, including light, carbon dioxide, humidity, water stress, pollutants and disease organisms; the behaviour of stomata in the field; and a discussion of stomatal control of transpiration and photosynthesis.

Life on earth depends on the photosynthetic use of solar energy by plants, and efforts to develop alternative sources of energy include a major thrust toward the use of photosynthesis to yield fuels. The study of photosynthesis is an especially convincing way of bringing together the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology and can be a valuable element in the teaching of biophysics and biochemistry. This book provides the only detailed modern treatment of the subject in a concise form. Part I outlines the historical development of the subject, emphasizing the chemical nature of photosynthesis and the roles of chlorophylls and other pigments. Part II reviews our present knowledge of the structure and components of photosynthetic tissues in relation to their function. Part III deals with the photo-chemistry of photosynthesis and with the patterns of chemical events, principally electron and proton transfer, that follow the photo-chemistry. Part IV treats the relationships of electron and proton transport to ATP formation, and the metabolic patterns of carbon assimilation. An epilogue exposes major areas of confusion and ignorance and indicates potentially fruitful directions of research, including the development of photosynthetic systems for solar energy conversion. Throughout the book, there are frequent digressions into those aspects of optics and molecular physics relevant to the subject matter. Suitable for upper undergraduate and graduate course use, this book is also sufficiently detailed to give professional scientists a perspective of the subject at the level of contemporary research.

Transgenic Plant Technology for Remediation of Toxic Metals and Metalloids covers all the technical aspects of gene transfer, from molecular methods, to field performance using a wide range of plants and diverse abiotic stress factors. It describes methodologies that are well established as a key resource for researchers, as well as a tool for training technicians and students. This book is an essential reference for those in the plant sciences, forestry, agriculture, microbiology, environmental biology and plant biotechnology, and those using transgenic plant models in such areas as molecular and cell biology, developmental biology, stress physiology and phytoremediation.

Plant remains can preserve a critical part of history of life on Earth. While telling the fascinating evolutionary story of plants and vegetation across the last 500 million years, this book also crucially offers non-specialists a practical guide to studying, dealing with and interpreting plant fossils. It shows how various techniques can be used to reveal the secrets of plant fossils and how to identify common types, such as compressions and impressions. Incorporating the concepts of evolutionary floras, this second edition includes revised data on all main plant groups, the latest approaches to naming plant fossils using fossil-taxa and techniques such as tomography. With extensive illustrations of plant fossils and living plants, the book encourages readers to think of fossils as once-living organisms. It is written for students on introductory or intermediate courses in palaeobotany, palaeontology, plant evolutionary biology and plant science, and for amateurs interested in studying plant fossils.

Serotonin and Melatonin: Their Functional Role in Plants, Food, Phytomedicine, and Human Health highlights the significance of the plant sources of serotonin and melatonin in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and food science. Over the last few decades, an enormous amount of research data has been generated on these two neurotransmitters/plant signalers. This book covers topics regarding the occurrence of serotonin and melatonin in medicinal plants and food value plants with their implications for human health, the role of serotonin and melatonin in plant growth development, functions of melatonin and serotonin in the environmental adaptation of plants, and the implications of these molecules in human disorders and treatments. This volume should appeal to scientists and other professionals engaged in basic and applied research on the relevance of serotonin and melatonin to plants, animals, and humans. Features Reviews the global scientific literature and the experimental data of the authors on the occurrence of serotonin and melatonin in medicinal and food value plants and its implications for human health Explains in detail the role of serotonin and melatonin in plant growth development Helps in understanding the complex functions of melatonin and serotonin in the environmental adaptation in plants Discusses the importance of the development of transgenic plants with high amounts of serotonin and melatonin. Describes the current understanding of serotonin and melatonin in human disorders, and also their relevance in the treatment of specific health conditions. Written by acknowledged experts from across the world

This book presents the state of the skill of understanding brassinosteroids (BRs) signaling plus crosstalk with phytohormone and their association in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses comprising physiological, biochemical, and molecular developments. Due to progressively adverse environmental conditions and scarce natural resources, high-efficient crops have become more important than ever. For the successful improvement of stress-tolerant plants, it is vital to understand the precise signaling appliances that plants practice to abide stresses as well as how much these mechanisms are convinced by phytohormone. However, it is also debatable on which step plants can attain brassinosteroids (BRs) signaling from an evolutionary viewpoint. BRs are involved in modulating a large array of important functions throughout a plant's life cycles. BRs are considered as one of the most important plant steroidal hormones that show a varied role in observing a wide range of developmental practices in plants. Our grip on brassinosteroids signaling has quickly extended over the past two decades, owing in part to the isolation of the constituents intricate in the signal transduction trail. The book proposes a useful guide for plant researchers and graduate students in connected areas.

Plant tissue culture (PTC) technology has gained unassailable success for its various commercial and research applications in plant sciences. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are an essential part of any plant tissue culture intervention for propagation or modification of plants. A wide range of PGRs are available, including aromatic compounds that show cytokinin activities, promote cell division and micro-propagation, viz. kinetin, N6-benzyladenine and topolins. Topolins are naturally occurring aromatic compounds that have gained popularity as an effective alternative for other frequently used cytokinins in in vitro culture of plants. Among them, meta-topolin [6-(3-hydroxybenzlyamino) purine] is the most popular and its use in plant tissue culture has amplified swiftly. During the last few decades, there have been numerous reports highlighting the effectiveness of meta-topolin in micropropagation and alleviation of various physiological disorders, rooting and acclimatization of tissue culture raised plants.

The recent past has seen a lot of environmental changes and climate changes that have been very evident. These changes have gone on to create a lot of stress on the various kinds of plants, which has impacted in the way they now grow and breed as compared to the previous times. The book Plant Stress Physiology deals with this exact subject and informs the readers about the various ways in which the plants adapt themselves to survive the changing environment and climate conditions. It also emphasizes on the common methods used by plants to do so in drastically changing environments.

The book Plant Pigments, Flavors and Textures talks about the various kinds pigments that are present in the plants and can be extracted from them. The book also informs the readers about the flavors that are present in the plants and explains the different kinds on textures of various kinds of plants. From the book, the readers can get themselves updates about the various kinds of forms in which the plants can be found according to their application and usage. This book provides a deep insight into the various characteristics of the plants so that the readers are fully aware about the areas in which these can be applied.

Plant genetics has come a long way from the time Gregor Mendel observed the traits of his pea plants. This book provides a glimpse on the advancements in plant genetics, putting emphasis on the various sequencing technologies that were instrumental in unlocking the plant genome. The plant genome has also lent itself to manipulation and modification, contributing greatly to the body of genetic knowledge as well as producing economically-, nutritionally-, and medically-significant plants. This book compiles and describes these plant genetic engineering and genomic editing approaches.

Wood Microbiology, Second Edition, presents the latest advances in wood decay and its prevention. Coverage includes classification of fungi and bacteria, factors affecting growth and survival, fungal metabolism, and wood chemistry. There are also chapters that focus on the anatomical aspects, chemical changes, and ultrastructural effects of wood decay. Additionally, this book discusses major issues associated with wood decay, detecting decay, and how to take protective action against it. This is a one-stop reference resource for wood scientists, wood processing and preserving professionals, foresters and forest pathologists, as well as students of forestry, and wood science and technology courses. It is authored by two leading experts with over 80 years of experience working with timber durability.

This book provides a comprehensive review of advances in breeding techniques for cereals such as wheat, barley maize and rye. Part 1 discusses ways of better exploiting genetic diversity through techniques such as trait introgression. Parts 2-3 then summarise developments in the use of doubled haploids and hybrid breeding methods. Parts 4-5 review advances in high throughput phenotyping and its use in identifying markers for breeding using techniques such as genome-wide association studies and nested association mapping.

This unique and attractive open access textbook combines the beauty of macroscopic pictures of plant stems with the corresponding colorfully stained images of anatomical micro-structures. In contrast to most botanical textbooks, it presents all the stem characteristics as photographs and shows the microscopic reality. The amount of text is reduced to a minimum, and the scientific information is highlighted with short legends and labeled photographs, allowing readers to focus on the pictures to easily understand how the anatomical structures relate to genetic, ecological, decomposition and technical influences. It includes a chapter devoted to simple anatomical preparation techniques, and further chapters showing the cell content, cell walls, meristematic tissues and stem structures of all major taxonomic units and morphological growth forms in various ecological and climatic regions from subarctic to equatorial latitudes, as well as structures of fossil, subfossil and technically altered wood. This textbook appeals to students and researchers in the fields of plant anatomy, taxonomy, ecology, dendrochronology, history, plant pathology, and evolutionary biology as well as to technologists.

Maize is one of the most important and widely grown cereal crops in the world and is a staple food for almost a billion people, particularly in the developing world. It has been estimated that maize yields need to increase by 60% by 2050. There is an urgent need to increase yields in the face of such challenges as climate change, threats from pests and diseases and the need to make cultivation more resource-efficient and sustainable. Drawing on an international range of expertise, this collection focuses on ways of improving the cultivation of maize at each step in the value chain, from breeding to post-harvest storage. Volume 1 reviews research on breeding and its use in improving nutritional quality and agronomic performance. It then goes on to discuss the challenges in translating these advances into effective outcomes for smallholders in the developing world. Achieving sustainable cultivation of maize Volume 1: From improved varieties to local applications will be a standard reference for cereal scientists in universities, government and other research centres and companies involved in maize cultivation. It is accompanied by Volume 2 which reviews improvements in cultivation techniques as well as the management of pests and diseases.

Sequencing of the maize genome has opened up new opportunities in maize breeding, genetics and genomics research. This book highlights modern trends in development of hybrids, analysis of genetic diversity, molecular breeding, comparative and functional genomics, epigenomicsand proteomics in maize. The use of maize in biofuels, phytoremediation and pharmaceuticals is also highlighted. Current research trends, future research directions and challenges are discussed by a panel of experts from all over the world.

Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, described the evolutionary origin of flowering plants, which appear to have risen abruptly during the late Cretaceous Period, as an "abominable mystery." The first seed plants appeared in the fossil record some 230 million years earlier, but the transitions leading to the flowering plants left few fossils and remain obscure. The evolutionary history of photosynthetic organisms is full of mysteries great and small, including the origin of photosynthesis itself, the origins of multiple independent lines of algae, the loss of flagella in the red algae, the origin of sporophytes in vascular and non-vascular plants, the early diversification of seed plants, and the origin of the unique monocots. In Plant Life: A Brief History, botanist Frederick Essig traces how familiar features of plants evolved sequentially over hundreds of millions of years as various environmental challenges and opportunities were met. This chronological narrative begins with the origin of photosynthesis and the rise of cyanobacteria, continues with the evolution and diversification of photosynthetic eukaryotes and their invasion of dry land, explores the varied adaptations for sexual reproduction and dispersal in the terrestrial environment, and concludes with the diverse growth forms of the flowering plants. As different groups of photosynthetic organisms are introduced, the book emphasizes the adaptations that enabled them to gain dominance in existing habitats or move into new habitats. Readers will acquire a deeper understanding of the diverse photosynthetic organisms humans depend upon for food, oxygen, medicine, building materials, and aesthetic pleasure. With accessible writing and a myriad of figures and illustrations, Essig provides a broad overview of plant evolution that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Plant Life: A Brief History is a valiant step in the quest to unravel the "abominable mysteries" of plant evolution, and offers a compelling introduction to the exciting and complex world of evolutionary biology.

Cold is the single most important enemy of life, and this book, first published in 1985, discusses the responses of living organisms to low temperatures. Subfreezing temperatures in particular affect the properties of water, which is essential to life, and the book describes the physics and chemistry of water in the context of physiology. Injury from cooling and the way in which organisms respond and survive, as well as the mechanism of cold hardening in micro-organisms, insects and plants are discussed. The laboratory exploitation of low temperatures to preserve life and to protect labile materials against freeze damage is also considered.

Understanding how photosynthesis responds to the environment is crucial for improving plant production and maintaining biodiversity in the context of global change. Covering all aspects of photosynthesis, from basic concepts to methodologies, from the organelle to whole ecosystem levels, this is an integrated guide to photosynthesis in an environmentally dynamic context. Focusing on the ecophysiology of photosynthesis - how photosynthesis varies in time and space, responds and adapts to environmental conditions and differs among species within an evolutionary context - the book features contributions from leaders in the field. The approach is interdisciplinary and the topics covered have applications for ecology, environmental sciences, agronomy, forestry and meteorology. It also addresses applied fields such as climate change, biomass and biofuel production and genetic engineering, making a valuable contribution to our understanding of the impacts of climate change on the primary productivity of the globe and on ecosystem stability.

John Lindley (1799-1865) was an English horticulturalist who worked for Sir Joseph Banks and was later instrumental in saving the Royal Horticultural Society from financial disaster. His earlier books on British plants were well received and he was influential in the realm of botanical nomenclature, especially in orchidology. He was a prolific author and many of his books were aimed at a non-specialist readership. His aim in this work, published in 1840, was to provide 'the intelligent gardener, and the scientific amateur ... with the rationalia of the more important operations of horticulture'. Beginning with a chapter on seeds, the first part of the book describes the life and structure of a plant - the root, the stem, the leaves, the flowers and the fruit. The second part moves on to practical topics, such as ventilation and seed-saving, as well as pruning and potting, explaining many basic concepts of plant cultivation.

Published in 1895, this is the second edition of an original 1894 volume. It was co-authored by Edward Hamilton Acton (1862-1895) and Francis Darwin (1848-1925), a son of Charles Darwin, who worked with his father on a series of experiments dealing with plant movement. The text is the product of a course of instruction in the physiology of plants given at Cambridge University. To enable the students to carry out their work effectively written instructions were needed, and these instructions were elaborated to form the basis of the book. It is divided into two sections: section one deals with general physiology and is of a more elementary character; part two deals with the chemistry of metabolism and is necessarily more complicated. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in botany, science education or the history of science.

From their ability to use energy from sunlight to make their own food, to combating attacks from diseases and predators, plants have evolved an amazing range of life-sustaining strategies. Written with the non-specialist in mind, John King's lively natural history explains how plants function, from how they gain energy and nutrition to how they grow, develop and ultimately die. New to this edition is a section devoted to plants and the environment, exploring how problems created by human activities, such as global warming, pollution of land, water and air, and increasing ocean acidity, are impacting on the lives of plants. King's narrative provides a simple, highly readable introduction, with boxes in each chapter offering additional or more advanced material for readers seeking more detail. He concludes that despite the challenges posed by growing environmental perils, plants will continue to dominate our planet.

The prospect of future climate change has stimulated research into the physiological responses of plants to stress. Water is a key factor controlling the distribution and abundance of plants in nature and the efficient uptake and subsequent transport of water within the plant is critical in hot, dry regions. This book, based on a meeting which focused on the failure of the hydraulic pathway within the xylem, brings together contributions from a range of experts who have worked on the cavitation of water in the transport system. The phenomenon of cavitation, discovered only in the 1960s, is now becoming recognised as being widespread and, whilst its ecological significance is a matter for further research, many scientists consider than embolism in the xylem predisposes plants to further water stress. Cavitation and refilling may, therefore, hold the key to vegetational response to climatic warming and drying. This book will provide a valuable compendium of information for those working in the plant and environmental sciences as well as for those whose interests lie in the more applied disciplines of agriculture and forestry.