The adaptation of desirable agricultural plants to infertile and problem soils is an increasingly important strategy for improving food supplies in many parts of the world. The plant breeding approach complements, and in some cases may replace agronomic practices such as the use of fertilizers and soil amendments to provide solutions which are economically and environmentally sustainable. The Symposium at which the papers in this volume were presented drew together workers in plant breeding, plant nutrition, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology to discuss research on gene systems which affect the mineral nutrition of plants. Papers describe successes in plant breeding for problem soils as well as advances in understanding of mechanisms at the whole plant and cellular levels. Papers in the "molecular" area point the way to the contribution which the new biology will make to this field in the future. The reviews and research papers are grouped under five topics: better plants for acid soils; salinity tolerance; efficiency of uptake and use of macronutrients; efficiency for iron and micronutrients; and tolerance of heavy metals and boron.

Completely updated from the successful first edition, this book provides a timely update on the recent progress in our knowledge of all aspects of plant perception, signalling and adaptation to a variety of environmental stresses. It covers in detail areas such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, oxidative stress, pathogens, and extremes of temperature and pH. This second edition: Presents detailed and up-to-date research on plant responses to a wide range of stresses Includes new full-colour figures to help illustrate the principles outlined in the text Is written in a clear and accessible format, with descriptive abstracts for each chapter Written by an international team of experts, this book provides researchers with a better understanding of the major physiological and molecular mechanisms facilitating plant tolerance to adverse environmental factors. This new edition of Plant Stress Physiology is an essential resource for researchers and students of ecology, plant biology, agriculture, agronomy and plant breeding.