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COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY OF ANGIOSPERMS is a review of the developmental processes leading to sexual reproduction in flowering plants. On the basis of embryological data and certain evidences from other areas of study, it lays special emphasis on the relationship among and within the families and orders of angiosperms. Occasionally, inaccuracies in observation and interpretation are pointed out, alternative interpretations offered, gaps in our knowledge highlighted, and prospects outlined. The text is documented with 36 tables, 376 figures, and about 5000 literature citations, which contribute to making this book comprehensive. Besides students and research workers interested in angiosperm embyology, taxonomists, plant breeders, agriculturists, and horticulturists will also find much useful information in this treatise.
Thirty-four years have elapsed since the publication of the late Professor P. Maheshwari's text, An Introduction to the Embryology of Angiosperms, a work which for many years served as an invaluable guide for students and a rich source book for research workerso Various texts dealing with sections of the braad spectrum oftopics encompassed by Maheshwari in his book have appeared in the interim, but a compendious modem work dealing with the whole field has been lacking. This present volume splendidly meets the need, and it is altogether fitting that Professor B. M. lohri, long an associate and close colleague of Professor Maheshwari and himself a prolific contributor to the subject, should have undertaken the task of editing it. When Maheshwari wrote, it was stiIl feasible for one author to handIe the subject, but today even someone with his fine bread th of vision and depth of understanding could not, alone, do it justice. So the effort has to be a collaborative one; and Professor lohri's achievement has been to bring together a team of authoritative collaborators, assign them their responsibilities, and put them to work to produce a text as integrated in its treatment as the diversity of the subject would allow. The product vividly illustrates the advances that have been made in the study of angiosperm reproductive systems in the last 30 years, and the book is surely destined to become the new standard for student and researcher alike.
For the last 40 years this book has served well the students of Botany, Agriculture and Forestry for their regular courses like BSc. (General and Hons) and MSc., as well as competitive examinations. It has stood the test of time due to the authors’ zeal to update it regularly with inputs from latest developments in the field. Since the last revision of the book, the methods used to study plant embryology have changed radically. Powerful modern biological techniques are now being applied to understand the developmental aspects and genetic and molecular bases of embryological processes. It has become possible to generate tissue specific mutants by T-DNA insertional mutagenesis, use of green fluorescent protein probes for live imaging of growing cells and tissues and to analyze gene expression in few-celled structures, such as early stages of embryo, and constituent cells of the male and female gametophytes. These techniques, combined with the development of high resolution confocal laser scanning microscopy, have provided non-invasive methods to view live processes, such as pollen tube growth in the pistil and double fertilization under in situ conditions. The book has been translated into Japanese and Korean languages. KEY FEATURES • Well established text with content rigorous enough for both UG and PG studies • Covers important topics like development and structure of male and female gametophytes, pollination, fertilization, sexual incompatibility, development of endosperm and embryo, polyembryony, apomixis and seed development • Describes embryology in relation to taxonomy and experimental and applied embryology Use of tables and figures to depict important data and information • Updated as per the new developments in the study of plant embryology
Taxonomy is one of the oldest biological disciplines. This book presents an account of general principles and aims of taxonomy in a comprehensive manner. It has been written mainly to cater the needs of undergraduate students pursuing courses in Botany/Life Sciences/Plant Sciences, but it will be useful for postgraduate students of these disciplines as well. The book gives a critical account of the important systems of classification and salient features of the APG II (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2003) system of plant taxonomy. It mentions the important rules of plant nomenclature, and various codes of nomenclature including the latest Vienna Code of 2006. Further, it discusses the usefulness of anatomy, embryology, palynology, chemistry, cytology and ecology under current trends in plant taxonomy. A thorough coverage of profusely illustrated 50 important dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous angiospermic families is the hallmark of this book. Each family is described covering the following points: Distribution, vegetative features, floral description, morphological nature of organs, further classification, affinities with other families, economic importance and description of common plant(s). Finally, the book covers the different aspects and theories related to the origin of angiosperms, and elucidates the methods and techniques of herbarium development and maintenance. KEY FEATURES: Presents a key to families described in the book. Provides a pro forma for the description of angiosperms. Includes a glossary of important technical terms. Lists the important Herbaria of India and the world.
First 3 paragraphs of Preface: In these days of intense activity, when hundreds of papers are being published in every field of botany in a steadily increasing number of periodicals and in a multitude of languages, no apology is needed for an attempt to summarize the existing state of our knowledge in any branch of the subject and to point out the future possibilities in it. Since the publication of Coulter and Chamberlain's "Morphology of Angiosperms" in 1903, no comprehensive account of this aspect of botany has appeared in the English language. The original impetus for writing this work resulted from a course of lectures which I gave on the subject in 1930 when I was teaching at the Agra College. Several colleagues and pupils then suggested that I should produce a book on the embryology of angiosperms. This suggestion was repeated by Professor G. Tischler of the University of Kiel, whom I visited in 1936. Teaching and administrative dutes and other difficulties made it impossible for me to carry on this work in India at the speed I should have liked. Soon after the war was over in 1945, therefore, I took the manuscript to the United States in order to revise it and put it in shape for publication. In a strict sense, embryology is confined to a study of the embryo, but most botanists also include under it the events which lead on to fertilization. I am in agreement with this wider comprehension of the subject and have therfore included in this volume not only an account of the embryo and endosperm, but also an account of the development of the male and female gametophytes and fertilization. To emphasize the recent trends of research in the subject, two chapters of a general nature have been added, one dealing with embryology in relation to taxonomy, and the other with experimental embryology. In the former, an attemt has been made to indicate the possibilities of the embryological method in the solution of problems of systematic botany. In the latter, emphasis has been placed on the contacts between embryology, cytology, genetics, and plant physiology.
Drawing from a lifetime of teaching botany, Dr. Nels Lersten presents the study of the structures and processes involved in the reproduction of plants in his text Flowering Plant Embryology. This richly illustrated reference text, with more than 350 figures and illustrations, presents general angiosperm embryology as it applies to economically important plants. The unique focus on economically important species increases the relevance of this book to today’s students and researchers in the plant sciences. Lersten emphasizes the plant species that affect human livelihood, including weeds and other cultivated plants that are used for commercial products. Selected from the thousands of economically important plants, the examples chosen for illustration and discussion are familiar, especially to students from North America, Northern Europe, and Japan. Although the emphasis of this book is economically important plants, the information within applies to almost all flowering plants. Extremely readable and well-written, this book is neither dense nor academic in tone. Lersten treats topics with a uniformity of style and organization that enhances comprehension. Terms are well-defined and the derivation of each is explained to further facilitate student learning. The book presents research results, hypotheses, and speculations about why things are as they are, with supporting facts and specific examples that provide a firm foundation for students’ understanding of embryological diversity among economic plants.
In the 2007 third edition of her successful textbook, Paula Rudall provides a comprehensive yet succinct introduction to the anatomy of flowering plants. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, the book covers all aspects of comparative plant structure and development, arranged in a series of chapters on the stem, root, leaf, flower, seed and fruit. Internal structures are described using magnification aids from the simple hand-lens to the electron microscope. Numerous references to recent topical literature are included, and new illustrations reflect a wide range of flowering plant species. The phylogenetic context of plant names has also been updated as a result of improved understanding of the relationships among flowering plants. This clearly written text is ideal for students studying a wide range of courses in botany and plant science, and is also an excellent resource for professional and amateur horticulturists.
The revolutionary progress made in this fascinating field of sexual reproduction inspired this generously illustrated volume. It includes 21 chapters written by experts, covering all aspects of the embryology of angiosperms, ranging from development, isolation, and structure of gametes to endosperm and seed development.
