This book examines the literature on red clover since about 1985. In each of the 17 chapters, an effort was made to summarize the earlier literature and to integrate the recent findings into this background. The timing is appropriate with the present interest in sustainable agriculture, in which red clover was so prominent in the past. This is the first book to be published which deals solely with this important forage species. Audience: Primarily scientists and scientifically trained technicians who will appreciate an up-to-date summary on red clover.
For many, the terms aging, maturation and senescence are synonymous and used interchangeably, but they should not be. Whereas senescence represents an endogenously controlled degenerative programme leading to plant or organ death, genetiC aging encompasses a wide array of passive degenerative genetiC processes driven primarily by exogenous factors (Leopold, 1975). Aging is therefore considered a consequence of genetiC lesions that accumulate over time, but by themselves do not necessarily cause death. These lesions are probably made more severe by the increase in size and complexity in trees and their attendant physiology. Thus while the withering of flower petals following pollination can be considered senescence, the loss of viability of stored seeds more clearly represents aging (Norden, 1988). The very recent book "Senescence and Aging in Plants" does not discuss trees, the most dominant group of plants on the earth. Yet both angiospermic and gymnospermic trees also undergo the above phenomena but less is known about them. Do woody plants senesce or do they just age? What is phase change? Is this synonymous with maturation? While it is now becoming recognized that there is no programmed senescence in trees, senescence of their parts, even in gymnosperms (e. g. , needles of temperate conifers las t an average of 3. 5 years), is common; but aging is a readily acknowledged phenomenon. In theory, at least, in the absence of any programmed senescence trees should -live forever, but in practice they do not.
This collection discusses the variety of specific molecular reactions by means of which plants respond to physiological and toxic stress conditions. It focuses on the characterization of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the induction of toxicity and the triggered responses and resistances. The nine chapters, all written by prominent researchers, examine heavy metal toxicity, aluminum toxicity, arsenic toxicity, salt toxicity, drought stress, light stress, temperature stress, flood stress and UV-B stress. In addition, information on the fundamentals of stress responses and resistance mechanisms is provided. The book addresses researchers and students working in the fields of plant physiology and biochemistry.
This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the Rothamsted Millennium Conference "Interactions in the Root Environment - an Integrated Approach". The meeting brought together scientists from a range of disciplines interested in the relationship between soil biology and plant growth, reflected by the contents of the volume. Topics range from root development and nutrient flow, plant-microbe and plant-plant signaling, methods for studying bacterial and fungal diversity, to the exploitation of rhizosphere interactions for biological control of diseases and soil remediation. Authors include many internationally-recognized experts in their field and the contributions range from reviews to research papers. The volume presents a timely and wide-ranging overview of the interactions between plants, microbes and soil. It should prove an indispensable resource for students and others seeking an introduction to the topic, in addition to scientists already conversant with the area of research.
Breeding Oilseed Crops for Sustainable Production: Opportunities and Constraints presents key insights into accelerating the breeding of sustainable and superior varieties. The book explores the genetic engineering/biotechnology that has played a vital role in transforming economically important traits from distant/wild species to cultivated varieties, enhancing the quality and quantity of oil and seed yield production. Integrated nutrient management, efficient water management, and forecasting models for pests diseases outbreaks and integrated pest and pest management have also added new dimensions in breeding for sustainable production. With the rise in demand, the scientific community has responded positively by directing a greater amount of research towards sustainable production both for edible and industrial uses. Covering the latest information on various major world oil crops including rapeseed mustard, sunflower, groundnut, sesame, oilpalm, cotton, linseed/flax, castor and olive, this book brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students. - Describes various methods and systems to achieve sustainable production in all major oilseed crops - Addresses breeding, biology and utilization aspects simultaneously including those species whose information is not available elsewhere - Includes information on modern biotechnological and molecular techniques and production technologies - Relevant for international government, industrial and academic programs in research and development
Agroforestry in Sustainable Agricultural Systems examines the environmental and social conditions that affect the roles and performance of trees in field- and forest-based agricultural production systems. Various types of ecological settings for agroforestry are analyzed within temperate and tropical regions. The roles of soil, water, light, nutrient and pest management in mixed, annual, woody perennial and livestock systems are discussed. Important new case studies from around the world offer innovative strategies that have been used successfully in raising forests and tree products on a sustainable basis for commercial harvesting and for providing other environmental services in land conservation and watershed management.
This book provides a comprehensive update on the recent developments concerning the role of plant neurotransmitters in signaling and communication. Physiological investigations over the past few decades have demonstrated that plants employ neurotransmitters in various signaling pathways. Plant-based neurotransmitters (serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and GABA) share biochemical similarities with those in animal systems in terms of their chemical nature and biochemical pathways. Plant–environment interaction associated with abiotic stress management, growth modulation, flowering, circadian rhythm, fruit ripening, and allelopathic interactions are a major focus of research in the field, and recent advances in genomic, trascriptomic, and metabolomic approaches have resulted in the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms associated with various neurotransmitters in plants. Other current and potential areas of investigation include the putative phytohormone phytomelatonin, and receptor-mediated signaling in plant neurotransmitters. Providing an up-to-date overview of molecular crosstalk mechanisms between various neurotransmitters, the book offers essential insights to help readers gain a better understanding of the physiology of plant signaling and communication with the environment.
Sustainability has a major part to play in the global challenge of continued development of regions, countries, and continents all around the World and biological nitrogen fixation has a key role in this process. This volume begins with chapters specifically addressing crops of major global importance, such as soybeans, rice, and sugar cane. It continues with a second important focus, agroforestry, and describes the use and promise of both legume trees with their rhizobial symbionts and other nitrogen-fixing trees with their actinorhizal colonization. An over-arching theme of all chapters is the interaction of the plants and trees with microbes and this theme allows other aspects of soil microbiology, such as interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the impact of soil-stress factors on biological nitrogen fixation, to be addressed. Furthermore, a link to basic science occurs through the inclusion of chapters describing the biogeochemically important nitrogen cycle and its key relationships among nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification. The volume then provides an up-to-date view of the production of microbial inocula, especially those for legume crops.
The fungus Sclerotinia has always been a fancy and interesting subject of research both for the mycologists and pathologists. More than 250 species of the fungus have been reported in different host plants all over the world that cause heavy economic losses. It was a challenge to discover weak links in the disease cycle to manage Sclerotinia diseases of large number of crops. For researchers and s- dents, it has been a matter of concern, how to access voluminous literature on Sclerotinia scattered in different journals, reviews, proceedings of symposia, workshops, books, abstracts etc. to get a comprehensive picture. With the pub- cation of book on ‘Sclerotinia’, it has now become quite clear that now only three species of Sclerotinia viz. , S. sclerotiorum, S. minor and S. trifoliorum are valid. The authors have made an excellent attempt to compile all the available infor- tion on various aspects of the fungus Sclerotinia. The information generated so far has been presented in different chapters. After introducing the subject various aspects viz. , the diseases, symptomatology, disease assessment, its distribution, economic importance, the pathogen, its taxonomy, nomenclature, reproduction, reproductive structures with fine details, variability, perpetuation, infection and pathogenesis, biochemical, molecular and physiological aspects of host-pathogen interaction, seed infection, disease cycle, epidemiology and forecasting, host resistance with sources of resistance, mechanism of resistance and other mana- ment strategies have been covered.
