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This edited book brings together a diverse group of researchers to address the challenges posed by global mass poisoning caused by lead contamination of soil and plants. Lead is among the elements that have been most extensively used by man over time. This has led to extensive pollution of surface soils on the local scale, mainly associated with mining and smelting of the metal and addition of organic lead compounds to petrol. Release of lead to the atmosphere from various high-temperature processes has led to surface contamination on the regional and even global scale. Lead is particularly strongly bound to humic matter in organic-rich soil and to iron oxides in mineral soil and is rather immobile in the soil unless present at very high concentrations. In addition, plants grown on lead-rich soils incorporate lead and thus the concentration of lead in crop plants may be increased. Lead enters in the food chain through consumption of plant material. A high concentration of lead has been found to be harmful to vegetation. As the lead concentration increases, it adversely affects several biological parameters and eventually renders the soil barren. The book sheds light on this global environmental issue and proposes solutions to contamination through multi-disciplinary approaches. This book contains three sections. First section describes the different sources and distribution of lead in soil and plant ecosystems. Second section explains the health risks linked to lead toxicity. Third section addresses sustainable lead toxicity mitigation strategies using the potential applications of recent biological technology. This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing field work on contamination throughout the world.

Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Agriculture under Abiotic Stress: Funtional Traits and Regulation highlights the potential for microbe-mediated stress phytolerance to be improved by presenting multiple scenarios of application and results. In most research and studies, abiotic stress is applied singularly to specific plants inoculated with a bioinoculum or a bacterial consortium to isolate specific plant-microbe responses. However, in reality, plants are continually exposed to a multitude of different stresses simultaneously occurring. This book presents bacteria functional traits and bacteria-mediated plant responses under both specific or combined stress conditions. Collectively, it provides insights into bacterial functional traits and bacteria-mediated plant responses in a wide range of conditions, providing foundational understanding of their potential benefits, and inspiring further research. The book centers on specific bacterial strains and groups which have been shown to effectively promote stress tolerance, and which could be utilized to boost agricultural production under stress conditions. Their potential utilization in stress affected lands not just improves crop production but could also be in line with sustainable agriculture. With the advancement of tools such as Omics related technologies, emerging information on bacterial functional traits and regulations on bacteria mediated phytotolerance will also allow us to develop relevant biotechnologies harnessing potentials of plant-bacteria interactions under stress conditions. The information in this volume will be of interest to those working toward these next steps. - Includes microbial functional traits and responses common to all stresses, unique to specific stress and shared by multiple stresses - Focuses on microbial strains and groups proven to be most effective in promoting stress tolerance - Explores opportunities toward improvement of sustainable agriculture and resulting food security

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. This latest volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics, forests, and ecosystems.

Abiotic stresses such as drought, high salt, cold, heat, UV radiation, heavy metal pollution, etc., are increasingly responsible for restricting plant growth and agricultural production and are becoming more alarming due to threats from global climate change. To combat these threats, this new 3-volume set provides a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that mediate biosynthesis, accumulation, and degradation of plant metabolites to improve crop production and enhance abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Volume 1: Secondary Metabolites in Environmental Stress Tolerance focuses exclusively on the diverse secondary metabolites that play a major role in the adaptation of plants to the environment and in overcoming stress conditions as well as their implications for enhancing tolerance mechanisms. The book presents information on the protective role rendered by a wide array of antioxidative secondary metabolites and their regulation during diverse environmental stress. Volume 2: Trace Elements in Environmental Stress Tolerance throws light on the different inorganic trace elements, including metal nanoparticles, that help to deal with environmental stresses. While these elements at high level create considerable phytotoxicity and halt metabolic and enzymatic activity, they also promote growth and development in limited quantity, so that they have significant potential in revamping plant morphology and physiology under stressed conditions. Hence, optimum concentration management of these elements can help to mitigate world hunger and contribute toward sustainable agriculture and food security under challenging environments. Volume 3: Sustainable Approaches for Enhancing Environmental Stress Tolerance focuses on the agronomic and biochemical approaches as well as biotechnological and high-throughput technologies, including the prospects of genetic engineering, epigenetics and the latest CRISPR/Cas technology, in generating stress-tolerant plants. The volume provides a clear roadmap for the implementation of techniques for improving abiotic stress tolerance in plants for better sustenance.

This book offers a comprehensive collection of review and case chapters that cover cadmium toxicity and remediation. It covers sources of cadmium contamination, its impact on human health, and prospective remediation strategies, taking a multi-disciplinary approach a focus on application of recent advanced biological technology. The chapters here bring together a diverse group of environmental science, sustainability and health researchers to address the challenges caused by cadmium contamination, explaining the routes of exposure to environmental cadmium, how cadmium is transported in ecosystems, and the health risks linked to cadmium exposure in food and the environment. This book contains two sections. The first section describes the different sources and distribution of cadmium in soil and plant ecosystems. The second section addresses sustainable cadmium toxicity mitigation strategies and potential applications of recent biological technology. This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals studying cadmium contamination throughout the world.

This book will help students and researchers of Plant Physiology to expand their knowledge on Stress Physiology due to Climate Change. Part A summarises plant physiology in a way that most people can understand, and even memorise easily. Part B brings together various fields of more advanced physiology, while explaining some of the newest findings and trends in physiology, focusing on drought and heat stress. Part B begins by covering oxidative stress in the cell, then the impact of stress on leaf stomata, the carbon and nitrogen metabolism of plants, and subsequently the underestimated role of the plant vasculature. The final chapter examines four advanced scientific queries that challenge some accepted viewpoints in Plant Physiology. In the end, a summary outlines the “big picture” in Plant Stress Physiology. This book guides the reader from basic knowledge to advanced specifics on major topics of Plant Stress Physiology, and helps the reader address some questions fundamental to plant life itself.

This book covers all aspects of naturally occurring phenomenon of Plant-Pathogen Interaction (PPI). Recent findings and scientific explanations to understand PPI are provided accompanied by numerous helpful photographs and pictorial presentations. In addition, tabulated data is also included to aid in getting insight into the subject and identifying the missing links. Essential information is provided on physiological, biochemical and pathology consequences of PPI and distinguished sections are devoted to explain molecular and regulatory mechanism underlying PPI. Further topics include different classes of plant pathogen, receptor molecules, signaling system, secondary metabolism and plant defense system etc. This book helps the readers in understanding the state of art and emerging technics to explore PPI and in identifying the missing links which further help in creating the background for future exploration of PPI in terms of experimental and technical advancements.

The Fourth Edition of the Handbook of Photosynthesis offers a unique and comprehensive collection of topics in the field of photosynthesis, serving as an invaluable resource in this field. With contributions from 95 scientists and experts from over 20 countries, this volume has been divided into 13 parts, each serving independently to facilitate the understanding of the material.FEATURES Presents comprehensive information on photosynthesis under normal and environmental stress conditions Covers artificial photosynthesis and its future-related issues Contains 25 new chapters and 18 extensively revised and expanded chapters Includes three new sections: Influence of Nanoparticles on Photosynthesis; Protection of Photosynthesis System and Stress Alleviation Strategies by Photosynthates Manipulations and Photosynthesis Efficiency in Plants under Multiple Abiotic and Biotic Stressors; and Artificial Photosynthesis and Its Future Contains numerous tables, figures, illustrations, and case studies to facilitate the comprehension of the material as well as thousands of index words A primary resource in its field, Handbook of Photosynthesis, Fourth Edition, provides a comprehensive resource for researchers, academics, and for university courses, with the information as a valuable source to plan, implement, and evaluate strategies for dealing with photosynthesis issues.

This book explores the intricate world of plant signaling by unraveling the synergistic roles of salicylic acid and nitric oxide in plant adaptation. This captivating exploration illuminates the pivotal roles of salicylic acid (SA) and nitric oxide (NO) as master regulators of plant responses to changing environmental dynamics. SA, a phenolic maestro, wields its mastery in steering metabolic pathways, stimulating plants'tolerance against abiotic stresses. Meanwhile, the enigmatic nitrogen monoxide (NO) emerges as a redox regulator, modulating growth and physiology amid high temperature stress. NO's role as a second messenger resonates through physiological processes, igniting antioxidant defenses, modulating osmolyte levels, and harmonizing stress-responsive genes. This volume seeks to highlight the covert alliance between SA and NO, more specifically their potential collaboration in alleviating high temperature-induced oxidative stress. The book offers basic yet enchanting voyage into the nexus of plant adaptation.

This book summarizes the physiological effects of bicarbonate in plants and systematically introduces readers to a bidirectional isotope labeling tracer technique used to quantify the contribution of root-derived bicarbonate to total photosynthetic inorganic carbon assimilation in plants. This method helps to shed light on the role of dissolved inorganic carbon from the soil in overall photosynthesis, an aspect that has been underestimated or neglected entirely in the past. The book quantifies the capacity for root-derived bicarbonate assimilation in certain plant species and illustrates the coupling relationship between karstification and photosynthesis. Further, it demonstrates that root-derived bicarbonate utilization is as important as stomatal-derived inorganic carbon assimilation in biological evolution and plant adaptation to the environment. Using numerous models, it also illustrates carbon isotopic mixtures in complex inorganic carbon utilization and supplements the results with numerical calculations presented as tables and figures. In short, the book offers a strikingly new perspective on photosynthesis.

This book covers different physiological processes, tools, and their application in crop breeding. Each chapter emphasizes on a specific trait/physiological process and its importance in crop, their phenotyping information and how best it can be employed for crop improvement by projecting on success stories in different crops. It covers wide range of physiological topics including advances in field phenotyping, role of endophytic fungi, metabolomics, application of stable isotopes, high throughput phenomics, transpiration efficiency, root phenotyping and root exudates for improved resource use efficiency, cuticular wax and its application, advances in photosynthetic studies, leaf spectral reflectance and physiological breeding in hardy crops like millets. This book also covers the futuristic research areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning. This contributed volume compiles all application parts of physiological tools along with their advanced research in these areas, which is very much need of the hour for both academics and researchers for ready reference. This book will be of interest to teachers, researchers, climate change scientists, capacity builders, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, physiology, botany, ecology, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists will also find this a useful resource.

The book aim to contribute the latest understandings of physiological, biochemical and molecular bases of the responses of major crop plants to a range of different biomass produced biochar to introduce climate resilience crop varieties which leads to enhanced crop productivity and quality under stressful conditions and also for better utilization of natural resources to ensure food security through modern breeding. Finally, this book will be a valuable resource for future plant stress related research with biochar, and can be considered as a reference book for front-line researchers working on sustaining crop production under climate change.Adverse effects of climate changes on crops has developed the situation quite critical for sustainable agriculture. Food security has become in danger due to low production of agricultural crops by resilient climate and ever increasing human population. Heat, drought, salinity, soil compaction, flooding and poor soil organic carbon induced stress in crops by climate adverse conditions are major concerns in this regard. A mechanistic understanding of the interactions between abiotic stresses response of crops is needed to identify and take advantage of acclimation traits in major crop species as a prerequisite for securing robust yield and good quality. This underpins a need for crops with inherent yield increase, yield stability against multiple abiotic stresses and improved quality. Individual stress tolerance mechanisms have been well documented so far. However, mechanisms behind plants'tolerance by application of biochar and its interactions with soil and plant roots towards multiple abiotic stresses are not fully understood. In addition, there will always be some uncertainty associated with modelling the complex relationships between agricultural yields, product quality with biochar under future climate scenarios. Prediction of yield and quality stability, one of mostcomplex agronomic traits, must integrate aspects of plant development, physiology, biochemistry and genetics. Furthermore, the GxExM interactions will complicate the model predications, thus the responses of a given genotype to a defined environment under certain management strategy need to be determined empirically and used to parameterise and refine crop models.

This book delivers an outline to graduate, undergraduate students, and researchers, as well as academicians who are working on lead toxicity with respect to remediation. It covers sources of lead contamination and its impact on human health and on prospective remediation through multi-disciplinary approaches with application of recent advanced biological technology. Lead is among the elements that have been most extensively used by man over time. This has led to extensive pollution of surface soils on the local scale, mainly associated with mining and smelting of the metal and addition of organic lead compounds to petrol. Release of lead to the atmosphere from various high-temperature processes has led to surface contamination on the regional and even global scale. In addition, plants grown on lead-rich soils incorporate lead, and thus, the concentration of lead in crop plants may be increased. Lead enters in the food chain through consumption of plant material. A high concentration oflead has been found to be harmful to vegetation. As the lead concentration increases, it adversely affects several biological parameters and eventually renders the soil barren. This edited book brings together a diverse group of researchers to address the challenges posed by global mass poisoning caused by lead contamination of soil and plants. The book sheds light on this global environmental issue and proposes solutions to contamination through multi-disciplinary approaches. This book contains three sections. The first section describes the different sources and distribution of lead in soil and plant ecosystems. The second section explains the health risks linked to lead toxicity. The third section addresses sustainable lead toxicity mitigation strategies and the potential applications of recent biological technology in providing solutions. This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing fieldwork on lead contamination throughout the world.

In the context of rising adverse effects of climate change on agriculture, there is a need for advanced methods and practices to manage soils for production of food and energy. This book presents the latest advances in microbial processes that control plant growth, with focus on genomic tools, microbial interactions with the plant and soils habitats, mobilization of plant nutrients, agricultural waste management, biodegradation, bioremediation, carbon sequestration, land reclamation, plant growth promotion, suppression of plant pathogens, induced systemic resistance and tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences. This latest volume includes reviews on plant physiology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics, forests, and ecosystems.

Peanut is an important crop in the semi-arid regions of the world. Both, irrigation and well water can provide the water necessary for it. It is a nutritious seed nut crop and has manyfold uses. As such, research on this crop is imperative. This book reviews physiological aspects, keeping in mind the changing agroclimatic conditions. Growth, development and yield are described on the basis of cellular and morphological manifestations. Being a C3 plant, the photosynthesis and respiration in peanuts is critically viewed specially under varying environment conditions and genotypes. The study of nitrogen assimilation and biological nitrogen fixation have been presented in light of the prevalent environmental and gene effects. The role of plant growth regulators in peanuts is elaborated on, stating up-to-date mode of actions. Special emphasis has been given to mechanisms of abiotic stress effects. The chapters (13) are arranged on the basis of physiology, cellular structure, biochemistry, molecular and genomics concepts.

This book is a collection of comprehensive reviewed chapters covering major physiological aspects, both production as well as biochemical aspects, of a plant under low temperature stress. Low temperature stress has been dealt in two parts, first between 10 to 00 C and secondly between 0 to -400 C. This book highlights the physiological aspects of plants under low temperature stress and explains the various adaptive measures plants undergo to tolerate low temperature stress. Essential information is provided on germination, growth and development, dry matter accumulation, partitioning and final yield of a crop plant. As physiology deals with morphological and biochemical aspect of all the basic processes, therefore an in depth understanding the major physiological issues in plants under high temperature will help plant breeders to tailor different crop plants with desirable physiological traits to do better under higher temperature. The present book is intended to cover the effects of low temperature stress on the various physiological aspects in plants. Not only in production physiology, this book also deals with major biochemical processes, like photosynthesis, nitrogen and lipid metabolism, mineral nutrition and plant growth hormones. Efforts have been made deal with different measures to mitigate the effects of low temperature stress on plants. This book will be an asset for post graduate students, faculty members, researchers engaged in not only in physiological studies but also agronomy, plant breeding and like subjects. In depth analysis of the major physiological processes in plants under low temperature stress that are presented in this book will help plant breeders for tailoring crops for desirable physiological traits needed to survive and to give better economic return under the threats of low temperature stress. This book is also helpful for policy planners and industries engaged in agribusiness in short term as well as long term gain.

The book inculcates a holistic approach to improve crop productivity and quality for ensuring food security and nutrition to all. This warrants to identify various stress conditions prevalent globally and tailor crop adaptability and productivity to the maximum accordingly, employing physio-molecular modern tools and techniques with judicious amalgamation with conventional crop husbandry. As a result, the book chapters encompass diverse environmental factors, internal physio-molecular processes and their modulations with a final goal of expanding area under cultivation by utilization of constraint terrains of poor site quality and augmenting sustainable crop productivity and quality on the face of rapidly changing climate. The book includes role of plant hormones, nano-sensors, nanomaterials etc. in stress tolerance responses, capturing recent advancement in the field of stress tolerance, enlarging scope of coverage by gleaning modern literature and providing glimpses of futuristic scenario of agriculture practices that can render ‘balance staple food rich in nutrition, vitamins and minerals'to teeming billions of global human populations. Thus, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the role of stress environment and understanding stress physiology for developing stress tolerant crops. The book covers current knowledge and future prospects to achieve enhanced food security under stress environment of crops. The renowned contributors elegantly crafted each chapter, suited alike to both classroom texts for graduate students and reference material for researchers. The language and style are simple and lucid with liberal use of illustrations. This book should be on the shelf of university/ personal libraries for inquisitive students and enlightened researchers.

Environmental change is affecting the world's agricultural productivity. This is coupled with an increase in population: according to the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Therefore, the current situation requires that we develop climate-smart technologies to improve crop productivity to sustain the ever-rising global population. Current-day farmers are introducing a considerable amount of agrochemicals to enhance crop productivity. Indiscriminate agrochemical application has altered not only the soil's physic-chemical and biological properties but also affected human health through food chain contamination. Cyanobacteria, under these changing environmental conditions, may help to resolve the problem significantly without changing the natural soil properties. In spite of their well-known stress tolerance potential, most of the cyanobacterial stress management and signaling pathways are yet to be fully characterized. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore cyanobacterial metabolism under stress as well as their regulatory pathways to exploit them for sustainable agriculture. In recent decades, the application of cyanobacteria has attracted scientists because of uniqueness, better adaptability, and synthetic products. Diverse cyanobacterial communities with the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, together with their photosynthetic properties, have demonstrated their application under field conditions. Several cyanobacterial species have thus been exploited to enhance soil fertility, mitigate biotic and abiotic stress, and contamination management. Cyanobacterial Lifestyle and its Applications in Biotechnology has been designed to discuss different aspects of cyanobacterial physiology with the aim of helping to provide a better understanding of advanced cyanobacterial molecular biology and their metabolism to uncover the potential of cyanobacteria in the tailoring of stress smart crops for sustainable agriculture. Chapters include valuable information about the role of cyanobacteria in the evolution of life, cyanobacterial photosynthesis, stress-tolerant cyanobacterium, biological nitrogen fixation, circadian rhythms, genetics and molecular biology of abiotic stress responses. - Summarizes various aspects of cyanobacterial research. - Includes comprehensive coverage of molecular approaches for the identification of cyanobacteria and their evolution. - Identifies an expanding horizon of cyanobacterial lifestyle: stress management in cyanobacteria. - Examines cyanobacteria synthetic biology, genetic engineering, photosynthesis and metabolic engineering.

Advances in Plant Nitrogen Metabolism is a thoughtful, provocative, and up-to-date volume that presents important physiological, biochemical, and molecular perspectives of the nitrogen metabolism in plants and regulatory networks underlying it. The book is an attempt to team up with global leading research experts working in the field of plant nitrogen metabolism to compile an up-to-date and wide-ranging volume. The main purpose of this book is to present information on the most recent developments including the different modern approaches and methodologies that are being currently employed in the field of plant nitrogen metabolism. We trust that this comprehensive volume will familiarize readers with the detailed mechanisms of nitrogen metabolism and its regulation and the current trends in this field of study.The book offers comprehensive coverage of the most essential topics, including: Role of nitrogen and its assimilation in plants Recycling and remobilization of nitrogen during senescence Role of phytohormones in nitrogen metabolism Biological nitrogen fixation Nitrogen biofertilizers: role in sustainable agriculture Effect of stress on plant nitrogen metabolism Reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in plants Nitrogen toxicity in plants, symptoms, and safeguards Nitrogen metabolism enzymes: structure, role, and regulation Regulatory RNAs and their role in nitrogen metabolism of diazotrophs As a pivotal contribution to the field, this volume is an invaluable and up-to-date foundation for plant physiologists, plant biochemists, geneticists, molecular biologists, agronomists, environmental researchers, and students of plant science. The book can also be used for the coursework of research and master's students.

Plant Perspectives to Global Climate Changes: Developing Climate-Resilient Plants reviews and integrates currently available information on the impact of the environment on functional and adaptive features of plants from the molecular, biochemical and physiological perspectives to the whole plant level. The book also provides a direction towards implementation of programs and practices that will enable sustainable production of crops resilient to climatic alterations. This book will be beneficial to academics and researchers working on stress physiology, stress proteins, genomics, proteomics, genetic engineering, and other fields of plant physiology. Advancing ecophysiological understanding and approaches to enhance plant responses to new environmental conditions is critical to developing meaningful high-throughput phenotyping tools and maintaining humankind's supply of goods and services as global climate change intensifies. - Illustrates the central role for plant ecophysiology in applying basic research to address current and future challenges for humans - Brings together global leaders working in the area of plant-environment interactions and shares research findings - Presents current scenarios and future plans of action for the management of stresses through various approaches

This new volume aims to be the single source that discusses in a comprehensive and elaborate way the photosynthetic and respiratory mechanisms in plants under hostile situations and the proper mitigating strategies to continue uninterrupted photosynthesis and respiration under such situations. Photosynthesis and respiration are the two main physiological processes for sugar biosynthesis and mobilization for driving all other vital functions. This volume delivers a wealth of sound information on these processes for scientists, researchers, and academicians.With chapters from renowned scientists, researchers, and global leaders, this volume focuses on the effect of environmental stressors on photosynthetic pigments, photosystems, activities of photosynthetic enzymes and protein complexes, PSII photochemistry, carbon fixation pathways, photosynthetic efficiency, glycolytic and Krebs cycle pathways, and ATP production and electron transport chain of plants. The recovery of photosynthesis and respiration through application of phytohormones, signaling molecules, and other protective agents are also emphasized. Genetic engineering to enhance photosynthetic efficiency is highlighted as well.

Metals and Metalloids in Soil-Plant-Water Systems: Phytophysiology and Remediation Techniques examines the impact of metal/metalloid contamination on the plant lifecycle, along with microbes present in soil. Highlighting uptake and translocation, the book also examines antioxidant, photosynthesis and growth characteristics of plants grown in metal contaminated soil. Beginning with an introduction to different sources of soil and water pollution, chapters assess the environmental cytotoxicity pollution impact on plants, as well as how the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in plant tissues is affected. The book also discusses various soil remediation methodologies, including the potential applications of metal oxidizing microbes and nanomaterials. This is an essential resource for researchers and students interested in plant physiology, soil science, environmental science and agriculture. - Provides a comprehensive overview of metal and metalloids speciation, fractionation, bioavailability and transfer to plants - Analyzes properties of plants grown with excess metals/metalloids in soils - Highlights applications of biochar and other biostimulants for sustainable metal/metalloid remediation

This book presents up-to-date information on various vector-less/direct (physical, chemical) and vector-mediated/indirect (Agrobacterium-mediated) plant transformation techniques. It summarizes various strategies that facilitate a gene from lower organism to be expressed in higher plants and also in silico designing of synthetic gene for higher expression. It also highlights the importance of strong promoters to drive the expression of transgene(s). This book encompasses the advantages and drawbacks of cisgenesis and transgenesis, their implications towards sustainable crop improvement, and their future prospects. The importance, limitations, challenges, recent developments, and future prospects of molecular pharming is also discussed. The book concludes with a chapter that summarizes the major contribution of GM-crops towards global food security and economy, advances in genome editing for crop improvement, challenges and risk associated with therelease of GM-crops, and the future of GM technology. This book is meant for students and researchers in the field of life sciences, food science, and agriculture.

This book presents an inclusive approach to deal with plant stresses in light of recent technological advances. As we have entered into a new decade, researchers and scientists should review and evaluate the recent findings in the field of plant stress management and visualize what we need to focus upon in the near future to increase crop yield. Above all, global climate changes present the greatest challenges of all time for plant scientists. In this context, the book highlights the recent findings and future perspectives in crop improvement to the faculties, scientists, research scholars, and postgraduate students. Major features of the book include an inclusive approach in understanding the mechanism of stress tolerance; recent advances and innovations in the field of allied disciplines like microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, plant breeding, nanobiotechnology, etc., for improving plant stress tolerance; and illustrative sketches to convey the mechanism and strategies of stress alleviation.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.By 2050, human population is expected to reach 9.7 billion. The demand for increased food production needs to be met from ever reducing resources of land, water and other environmental constraints. Rice remains the staple food source for a majority of the global populations, but especially in Asia where ninety percent of rice is grown and consumed. Climate change continues to impose abiotic and biotic stresses that curtail rice quality and yields. Researchers have been challenged to provide innovative solutions to maintain, or even increase, rice production. Amongst them, the ‘green super rice'breeding strategy has been successful for leading the development and release of multiple abiotic and biotic stress tolerant rice varieties. Recent advances in plant molecular biology and biotechnologies have led to the identification of stress responsive genes and signaling pathways, which open up new paradigms toaugment rice productivity. Accordingly, transcription factors, protein kinases and enzymes for generating protective metabolites and proteins all contribute to an intricate network of events that guard and maintain cellular integrity. In addition, various quantitative trait loci associated with elevated stress tolerance have been cloned, resulting in the detection of novel genes for biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Mechanistic understanding of the genetic basis of traits, such as N and P use, is allowing rice researchers to engineer nutrient-efficient rice varieties, which would result in higher yields with lower inputs. Likewise, the research in micronutrients biosynthesis opens doors to genetic engineering of metabolic pathways to enhance micronutrients production. With third generation sequencing techniques on the horizon, exciting progress can be expected to vastly improve molecular markers for gene-trait associations forecast with increasing accuracy. This book emphasizes on the areas of rice science that attempt to overcome the foremost limitations in rice production. Our intention is to highlight research advances in the fields of physiology, molecular breeding and genetics, with a special focus on increasing productivity, improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and nutritional quality of rice.

Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and global climate conditions have altered photosynthesis and plant respiration across both geologic and contemporary time scales. Understanding climate change effects on plant carbon dynamics is critical for predicting plant responses to future growing conditions. Furthermore, demand for biofuel, fibre and food production is rapidly increasing with the ever-expanding global human population, and our ability to meet these demands is exacerbated by climate change.This volume integrates physiological, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives on photosynthesis and respiration responses to climate change. We explore this topic in the context of modeling plant responses to climate, including physiological mechanisms that constrain carbon assimilation and the potential for plants to acclimate to rising carbon dioxide concentration, warming temperatures and drought. Additional chapters contrast climate change responses in naturaland agricultural ecosystems, where differences in climate sensitivity between different photosynthetic pathways can influence community and ecosystem processes. Evolutionary studies over past and current time scales provide further insight into evolutionary changes in photosynthetic traits, the emergence of novel plant strategies, and the potential for rapid evolutionary responses to future climate conditions. Finally, we discuss novel approaches to engineering photosynthesis and photorespiration to improve plant productivity for the future.The overall goals for this volume are to highlight recent advances in photosynthesis and respiration research, and to identify key challenges to understanding and scaling plant physiological responses to climate change. The integrated perspectives and broad scope of research make this volume an excellent resource for both students and researchers in many areas of plant science, including plant physiology, ecology, evolution, climate change,and biotechnology. For this volume, 37 experts contributed chapters that span modeling, empirical, and applied research on photosynthesis and respiration responses to climate change. Authors represent the following seven countries: Australia (6); Canada (9), England (5), Germany (2), Spain (3), and the United States (12).

The volume deals with other aspect (s) of metabolic activities of plants under abiotic stress. This book discusses techniques for improving yield potential and adaptiveness to unfavorable environmental conditions. This book also addresses how knowledge of the changes in physiological mechanisms can contribute in understanding the yield structure under abiotic stress. 1. Abiotic Stress and Metabolic Responses in Plants 2. Abiotic Stress and Secondary Metabolites in Plants 3. Microbes: Support and Protect Plants against Abiotic Stresses 4. Abiotic Stress and Physiological Traits in Plants 5. Abiotic Stress and Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) in Plants

This book explores the impact of soil water deficiency on various aspects of physiological processes in plants. The book explains the effects under soil water deficit condition such as lowering of plant water content, disturbance in carbon metabolism such in photosynthesis, photorespiration and respiration as well as effects of soil water deficit on nitrogen metabolism. The book also educates the readers about, mineral nutrition under soil water deficit condition and roles of different nutrient to overcome water deficit. Changes in growth and development pattern of plant under soil water deficit condition and effects on growth and development are elaborated. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, scientists in botany and agriculture. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, forestry, ecology, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers willalso find this to be a useful read.The in depth description of the major physiological issues in plants under soil water deficit that are presented in this book will help breeders tailoring crops for desirable physiological survival traits in the face of increasing soil water deficit. This book is an impactful addition to the library of any faculty members, researchers, agricultural policy planner, post graduate or student studying in plant physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and other subjects related to crop husbandry.

Occupant une place primordiale dans notre alimentation, les productions fruitières de climats tempérés sont issues de cultures très diversifiées et souvent inféodées à des régions aux conditions climatiques particulières. Quels effets le changement climatique va-t-il induire sur les performances, la diversité et la répartition de ces cultures? Ces effets vont-ils accroître les vulnérabilités intrinsèques aux productions fruitières et générer également des opportunités leur offrant un nouveau dynamisme? Quels outils et quels leviers permettront d'anticiper les adaptations des cultures fruitières au changement climatique? Comment concilier adaptation climatique et compétitivité économique?Pour répondre à ces questions, cet ouvrage présente un vaste panorama de connaissances, allant des évolutions et des prédictions climatiques aux processus écophysiologiques et agronomiques déterminant la production des plantes fruitières. Une analyse des impacts potentiels, ou déjà avérés, du changement climatique aux différents niveaux de la production permet d'énoncer les enjeux à anticiper, concernant tout particulièrement la phénologie, la contrainte hydrique, la qualité des fruits et les bioagresseurs. Les différents leviers susceptibles de mener aux adaptations projetées sont explorés à la lumière des adaptations déjà mises en place en climats chauds.Largement illustré et élaboré par une quarantaine d'auteurs, cet ouvrage rassemble des acquis scientifiques, des données, des outils et des perspectives permettant notamment à des professionnels, des chercheurs, des enseignants, des étudiants, soucieux de l'avenir des productions fruitières, de mieux percevoir les enjeux et les possibilités d'adaptation des productions fruitières au changement climatique.En collaboration avec GIS fruits, INRAE, Cep, Cep innovation et NovadiConsulter la préface de Yves Lespinasse, Directeur de recherche honoraire INRAE, membre de l'Académie d'agriculture de France

The use of fossil fuels results in rising CO2 and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing global temperature rise and climate change that will negatively impact human health, the food supply, and eventually worsen hunger and misery. Presently, fossil fuels meet 88% of the energy demand, resulting in rising CO2/GHG emissions at alarming rates. The increased use of biofuels would help to mitigate climate change. Efficiently designing methods for the production of biofuels and plant-derived high-value products requires a deeper understanding of photosynthetic processes as a prerequisite for applying novel biotechnologies. Accordingly, this book provides ample information and a wealth of illustrative examples. The book's eighteen richly illustrated chapters are divided into three thematic parts. I: Photosynthesis and Biomass Production under Changing Conditions, II: Microalgae and Engineered Crops for Production of Biofuels and High-value Products, and III: Genetic Resources and Engineering Methods to Improve Crop Plants. Readers will find the latest information on the molecular basis of photosynthetic processes in plants (including the regulatory principles that allow plants to maintain homeostasis under changing conditions), stress resistance and synthetic pathways. In addition, the basic principles of important biotechnologies, as well as examples of specially designed crops capable of growing under stress conditions with improved productivity, are presented. The book sets the course for future research in the field of biofuel development and production and provides both general and specific information for students, teachers, academic researchers, industrial teams, and general readers who are interested in new developments concerning the production of biofuels with value-added properties.

Growth, reproduction, and geographical distribution of plants are profoundly influenced by their physiological ecology: the interaction with the surrounding physical, chemical, and biological environments. This textbook highlights mechanisms that underlie plant physiological ecology at the levels of physiology, biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology. At the same time, the integrative power of physiological ecology is well suited to assess the costs, benefits, and consequences of modifying plants for human needs and to evaluate the role of plants in natural and managed ecosystems. Plant Physiological Ecology, Third Edition is significantly updated, with many full color illustrations, and begins with the primary processes of carbon metabolism and transport, plant water relations, and energy balance. After considering individual leaves and whole plants, these physiological processes are then scaled up to the level of the canopy. Subsequent chapters discuss mineral nutrition and the ways in which plants cope with nutrient‑deficient or toxic soils. The book then looks at patterns of growth and allocation, life‑history traits, and interactions between plants and other organisms. Later chapters deal with traits that affect decomposition of plant material and with the consequences of plant physiological ecology at ecosystem and global levels. Plant Physiological Ecology, Third Edition features several boxed entries that extend the discussions of selected issues, a glossary, and numerous references to the primary and review literature. This significant new text is suitable for use in plant ecology courses, as well as classes ranging from plant physiology to plant molecular biology.

Agronomic crops have been a source of foods, beverages, fodders, fuels, medicines and industrial raw materials since the dawn of human civilization. Over time, these crops have come to be cultivated using scientific methods instead of traditional methods. However, in the era of climate change, agronomic crops are increasingly subjected to various environmental stresses, which results in substantial yield loss. To meet the food demands of the ever-increasing global population, new technologies and management practices are being adopted to boost yield and maintain productivity under both normal and adverse conditions. To promote the sustainable production of agronomic crops, scientists are currently exploring a range of approaches, which include varietal development, soil management, nutrient and water management, pest management etc. Researchers have also made remarkable progress in developing stress tolerance in crops through various approaches. However, finding solutions to meet the growing food demands remains a challenge. Although there are several research publications on the above-mentioned problems, there are virtually no comprehensive books addressing all of the recent topics. Accordingly, this book, which covers all aspects of production technologies, management practices, and stress tolerance of agronomic crops in a single source, offers a highly topical guide.

Soil is a vital support system for all life forms, and is directly or indirectly exposed to various pollutants and harmful chemicals. Any pollutant entering the soil system not only affects the quality of the soil, but also the plants and crops growing in it. Further, soil pollution has far-reaching impacts, since harmful chemicals can become biomagnified and enter the food chain, causing severe health concerns. Degraded soils can adversely affect various plant systems by creating biotic and abiotic stress, which increases the chances of biochemical and physiological disorders. Chronic diseases and lower yield have been reported as consequences of soil pollution. Drawing on decades of soil-related research, this book focuses on soil pollution, types of soil pollutants, and their impacts on plant physiological and biochemical systems, along with crop productivity. The book begins with a brief introduction to soil pollution and continues with a discussion of the different types and their effects, together with remediation methods. It highlights various sources of soil pollution such as herbicides, acidification, chemical fertilizers, sewage sludge, heavy metals, and radioactive pollutants. It also covers plant responses to combinations of pollutants, effects of pollutants on plant ultrastructure, interactions between pollutants and plant diseases, and interactions between pollutants and agricultural practices. In closing, it addresses the challenges involved in the restoration of degraded land, side effects of agricultural practices in the form of greenhouse gases, and strategies for mitigating these effects. Plant Responses to Soil Pollution offers an essential guide for students, environmental consultants, researchers and other professionals involved in soil and plant-related research.

This book examines the way that lead enters the biosphere and the subsequent environmental impact. The contributing authors include international experts who provide methods for assessing and characterizing the ecological risk of lead contamination of soil and plants. Information is provided on the consequences for human health as a result of lead pollution. This book reveals that approximately 98% of stable lead in the atmosphere originates from human activities.Lead in Plants and the Environment reports on methods for detecting, measuring, and assessing the concentration of lead in plants. The authors provide a method for the measurement of 210Pb isotopes in plants. This method can be applied extensively in different environmental settings, not only as a way of revealing sources of lead, but also as a way to monitor lead transport in plants and animals that ingest them.The chapters include coverage on the following topics:· Lead bioavailability in the environment and its exposure and effects· Radioanalytical methods for detecting and identifying trace concentrations of lead in the environment· Lead contamination and its dynamics in soil plant systems· Lead pollution monitoring and remediation through terrestrial plants in mesocosm constructed wetlands· A review of phytoremediation of leadThis book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing field work on lead contamination throughout the world.

This book aims to provide an overview of the challenges and available technologies to improve rice and provide a response to the challenge posed by increasing world population and the resultant food shortages. Nutritional aspects of rice products and omics and the molecular technologies currently being used are covered in depth. As a staple food for over 50% of the world´s population, an estimated 9 billion people will need to be fed by 2050, and healthy and uncontaminated foods need to reach consumers in developed and developing countries.This makes quality beyond productivity incredibly important and is one of the overriding themes of this work. The Future of Rice Demand: Quality Beyond Productivity offers researchers a better understanding of the nutritional aspects of rice. Omics technologies applied to cereal grain quality have been scarce in the literature published to date, making this text an excellent single source for researchers in regions where rice is a major crop. The first section of the book focuses on the major aspects of the industrial processing of all rice types. Further sections look at contamination prevention and biofortification, special rice types, and omics and other molecular tools used in the mass production and processing of healthy rice products.

This book presents the latest research on plant phenolics, offering readers a detailed, yet comprehensive account of their role in sustainable agriculture. It covers a diverse range of topics, including extraction processes; the role of plant phenolics in growth and development; plant physiology; post-harvesting technologies; food preservation; environmental, biotic and abiotic stress; as well as nutrition and health. Further the book provides readers with an up-to-date review of this dynamic field and sets the direction for future research. Based on the authors'extensive experience and written in an engaging style, this highly readable book will appeal to scholars from various disciplines. Bringing together work from leading international researchers, it is also a valuable reference resource for academics, researchers, students and teachers wanting to gain insights into the role of plant phenolics in sustainable agriculture.

This completely updated and revised second edition provides a unique and up-to-date treatment of all aspects of plant ecology, making it an ideal textbook and reference work for students, researchers and practitioners. More than 500 high-quality images and drawings, mostly in colour, aid readers'understanding of various key topics, while the clear structure and straightforward style make it user friendly and particularly useful for students. Written by leading experts, it offers authoritative information, including relevant references. While Plant Ecology primarily addresses graduate students in biology and ecology, it is also a valuable resource for post-graduate students and researchers in botany, environmental sciences and landscape ecology, as well as all those whose study or work touches on agriculture, forestry, land use, and landscape management. Key Topics: - Molecular ecophysiology (molecular stress physiology: light, temperature, oxygen deficiency, water deficit (drought), unfavorable soil mineral conditions, biotic stress) - Physiological and biophysical plant ecology (ecophysiology of plants: thermal balance, water, nutrient, carbon relations) - Ecosystem ecology (characteristics of ecosystems, approaches how to study and how to model terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemical fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems) - Community ecology and biological diversity (development of plant communities in time and space, interactions between plants and plant communities with the abiotic and the biotic environment, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning) - Global ecology (global biogeochemical cycles, Dynamic Global Vegetation Models, global change and terrestrial ecosystems)

This book offers a comprehensive and state-of-the-art source reference for understanding the functions and mechanisms responsible for yield and quality determination under a range of conditions. By uncovering relationships and challenges of successful and scalable crop management and breeding, this volume addresses the challenges of environmentally sound production of bulk and quality food, fodder, fiber, and energy which are of ongoing international concern. Contemporary agriculture and crop management confronts the challenge of increasing demand in terms of quantitative and qualitative production targets. These targets have to be achieved against a background of climate change, including soil and water scarcity and higher temperatures, and the environmental and social aspects of agricultural sustainability. This book views crop production as an active source of methods, theories, ideas, and tools for application in genetic improvement and agronomy.

Senescence Signalling and Control in Plants discusses the studies showing the importance of hormone action on developmental senescence. It shows the involvement of various signaling components (such as EIN2, LOX2) and transcription factors (such as oresara1 or ORE1) in controlling hormonal activity during senescence. Further, the involvement of various micro RNAs (miR164, miR319) in regulating leaf senescence are discussed. Through this book, the authors throw light on all the reverse and forward genetic approaches to reveal the role of various other phytohormones regulating plant senescence and the molecular mechanisms involved. Chapters on relevant topics are contributed by experts working in the area, making this a comprehensive treatise designed to provide an in-depth analysis on the subject matter. - Throws light on the involvement of hormones (other than the well- known hormones cytokine and ethylene) in plant senescence - Shows the underlying mechanisms on the hormonal actions during senescence - Exhibits the involvement of microRNAs during this important plant developmental process

An Essential Guide to Astaxanthin: Dietary Sources, Properties and Health Benefits begins with a review of published studies regarding the efficacy and application of natural astaxanthin in aquaculture and human health, respectively. Next, to help in optimizing astaxanthin production, the changes of pigments (including chlorophyll and carotenoids) and astaxanthin geometrical isomers were elucidated during the incubation in H. pluvialis under environmental stresses. Changes in photosynthetic behaviors and photoprotective mechanisms during astaxanthin accumulation were clarified. In the closing chapter, the authors review methods for Z-isomerization of astaxanthin and subsequent changes in the physicochemical properties and functionalities.

Major portion of the planet earth is covered by seas and oceans representing 96.5% of the planet's water, playing a detrimental role in sustaining the plant including crop diversity and productivity for human consumption. Water resources contain both soluble and transition metals, which are easily absorbed by plants through roots as a first point of contact and subsequently play important physiological and biological functions in plants. Transition metals such as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) contribute to the plant productivity by playing key functional roles in the photosynthesis. In addition, to their major role in regulating the plant productivity, they also play an important role by acting as homeostatic regulators in uni-parentally inherited chloroplasts and maintains the flow of the electron transfer. It is worthwhile to mention that they play a critical role as transporters, which acts as electron balancing units for managing the electrostatic potential across the membranes. In contrast, some metals such as Cd, As play a significant role in inducing the stress mechanism and influencing either directly or in-directly Haber-Weiss reactions either through the production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) or through the membrane damage thus leading to leakage of membrane transporters. However, besides playing a detrimental role as transporters in plant system, excessive accumulation of these metals due to the increasing contamination in the marginal soil and water are posing important threats to the plant system. Realizing the toxic effects of the metals, several physiological evidences have been laid for the credence of the metal toxicity and their concurrent effect on plant productivity. Increasing effects of the metals as toxicants can have three adverse effects on the populations: population can move, persist via local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, or die. Next generation sequencing studies have revolutionized our abilities todetect the changes in expression profiles across an array of genes, which can in-turn help to develop early markers of metal induced stress. Plant Metallomics and Functional Omics: A System-Wide Perspective focuses on the applications of the system wide understanding of the biological and functional interplay occurring at the juncture of the metalloid induced stress and toxicity. The main goal of this book is to familiarize the readers with the most up-to-date information on metal-induced physiological changes in plant species.

This book addresses microalgae, which represent a very promising biomass resource for wastewater treatment and producing biofuels. Accordingly, microalgae are also an expanding sector in biofuels and wastewater treatment, as can be seen in several high-profile start-ups from around the globe, including Solix Biofuels, Craig Venter's Synthetic Genomics, PetroSun, Chevron Corporation, ENN Group etc. In addition, a number of recent studies and patent applications have confirmed the value of modern microalgae for biofuels production and wastewater treatment systems. However, substantial inconsistencies have been observed in terms of system boundaries, scope, the cultivation of microalgae and oil extraction systems, production costs and economic viability, cost-lowering components, etc. Moreover, the downstream technologies and core principles involved in liquid fuel extraction from microalgae cells are still in their early stages, and not always adequate for industrial production. Accordingly, multilateral co-operation between universities, research institutes, governments, stakeholders and researchers is called for in order to make microalgae biofuels economical. Responding to this challenge, the book begins with a general introduction to microalgae and the algae industry, and subsequently discusses all major aspects of microalgal biotechnology, from strain isolation and robust strain development, to biofuel development, refinement and wastewater treatment.

Green Technology for Bioremediation of Environmental Pollution has significant importance in its fields, since it comprises the current information of basic concepts and various advanced research aspects of bioremediation related green technologies for controlling environmental pollution. In order to combat the severe environmental problems, a comprehensive treatise on bioremediation dealing with updated relevant novel green technologies is, thus, in great demand for application in a practical field. Keeping this in mind, the idea of the present book has been conceived by the editors. This issue focuses particularly on the recently developed environmental friendly novel green technology that detoxifies and decontaminates the pollutants in different domains of the environment using the potential biological agents. The book covered the following topics: A modern applied concept of the green bioremediation process, genomics, metagenomics and proteomics in green bioremediation, advanced biochemical and molecular approaches of pollutant detoxification, ecological engineering in bioremediation, microbial remediation, bioleaching, various phytoremediation approaches, novel remediation technologies of various hazardous pollutants, etc. The salient features of this book include: (i) Peer revision of each chapter by expert scientists; (ii) the basic applied concepts of bioremediation; (iii) in-depth updated concepts and research findings; (iv) relevant graphical and pictorial illustrations for understanding the text; (v) bioremediation of several emerging and hazardous pollutants; and (vi) a vivid description of bioremediation characteristics of various biological agents. Therefore, the book will be of considerable use to the environmental engineers, researchers, scientists, professionals, teachers and students working in the fields of environmental science, pollution bioremediation, environmental engineering, environmental management, environmental microbiology, environmental biotechnology and biochemistry, life sciences, proteomics, genomics and metagenomics, toxicity, waste treatment industries, etc.

Plants provide a source of survival for all life on this planet. They are able to capture solar energy and convert it into food, feed, wood and medicines. Though sessile in nature, over many millions of years, plants have diversified and evolved from lower to higher life forms, spreading from sea level to mountains, and adapting to different ecozones. They have learnt to cope with challenging environmental conditions and various abiotic and biotic factors. Plants have also developed systems for monitoring the changing environment and efficiently utilizing resources for growth, flowering and reproduction, as well as mechanisms to counter the impact of pests and diseases and to communicate with other biological systems, like microbes and insects. This book discusses the “awareness” of plants and their ability to gather information through the perception of environmental cues, such as light, gravity, water, nutrients, touch and sound, and stresses. It also explores plants'biochemical and molecular “computing” of the information to adjust their physiology and development to the advantage of the species. Further, it examines how plants communicate between their different organs and with other organisms, as well as the concepts of plant cognition, experience and memory, from both scientific and philosophical perspectives. Lastly, it addresses the phenomenon of death in plants.The epilogue presents an artist's view of the beauty of the natural world, especially plant “architecture”. The book provides historical perspectives, comparisons with animal systems where needed, and general biochemical and molecular concepts and themes. Each chapter is selfcontained, but also includes cross talk with other chapters to offer an integrated view of plant life and allow readers to appreciate and admire the functioning of plant life from within and without. The book is a tribute by the Editor to his students, colleagues and co-workers and to thosein whose labs he has worked.

The book deals with the problem of the interaction and interconditionality of the various processes occurring in both the Earth's crust and the biosphere. It proposes a model of the global carbon cycle explaining the nature and mechanism of these interactions, showing that the key element of this interaction is the photosynthesis controlled by periodic carbon dioxide injections caused by collision zones of lithospheric plates. Changes in the environment due to the evolution of photosynthesis cause alterations in the carbon cycle, and lead to a stationary state when new features of the cycle are manifested. The main instruments of the analysis here are the isotopic technique and physico-chemical modeling, conducted on the basis of the principle of actualism. The model provides explanations of periodic mass extinctions of organisms, the “explosions of life”, the uneven distribution of organic matter in the sedimentary strata, stratigraphic oil distribution, and various other events in the biosphere in the course of geological history. The book will appeal to geologists, geochemists, climatologists, ecologists, biologists, and specialists in global change.

A guide to environmental fluctuations that examines photosynthesis under both controlled and stressed conditions Photosynthesis, Productivity and Environmental Stress is a much-needed guide that explores the topics related to photosynthesis (both terrestrial and aquatic) and puts the focus on the basic effect of environmental fluctuations. The authors—noted experts on the topic—discuss photosynthesis under both controlled and stressed conditions and review new techniques for mitigating stressors including methods such as transgeneics, proteomics, genomics, ionomics, metabolomics, micromics, and more. In order to feed our burgeoning world population, it is vital that we must increase food production. Photosynthesis is directly related to plant growth and crop production and any fluctuation in the photosynthetic activity imposes great threat to crop productivity. Due to the environmental fluctuations plants are often exposed to the different environmental stresses that cause decreased photosynthetic rate and problems in the plant growth and development. This important book addresses this topic and: Covers topics related to terrestrial and aquatic photosynthesis Highlights the basic effect of environmental fluctuations Explores common stressors such as drought, salinity, alkalinity, temperature, UV-radiations, oxygen deficiency, and more Contains methods and techniques for improving photosynthetic efficiency for greater crop yield Written for biologists and environmentalists, Photosynthesis, Productivity and Environmental Stress offers an overview of the stressors affecting photosynthesis and includes possible solutions for improved crop production.

This book gathers the latest findings on the microbial ecology of saline habitats, plant-microbe interactions under saline conditions, and saline soil reclamation for agricultural use. The content is divided into four main parts: Part I outlines the definition of salinity, its genesis and impacts, and microbial diversity in saline habitats. Part II deals with impact of salinity on microbial and plant life/health. Part III highlights plant – microbe interactions in saline environments, and Part IV describes strategies for mitigation and reclamation of saline soils. The salinization of arable land is steadily increasing in many parts of the world. An excessive concentration of soluble salts (salinity) in soils or irrigation water adversely affects plant growth and survival. This problem is exacerbated in arid and semiarid areas due to their low precipitation and high evaporation rates. In turn, poor management practices and policies for using river water forthe irrigation of agriculture crops often lead to the secondary salinization of soils.Considering the growing demands of a constantly expanding population, understanding the microbial ecology and interactions under saline conditions and their implications for sustainable agriculture is of utmost importance. Providing both an essential review of the status quo and a future outlook, this book represents a valuable asset for researchers, environmentalists and students working in microbiology and agriculture..

This book describes nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) functions in higher plants. Much progress has been made in the field of NO and H2O2 research regarding the various mechanisms and functions of these two molecules, particularly regarding stress tolerance and signaling processes, but there are still gaps to be filled. NO and H2O2 are both crucial regulators of development, and act as signaling molecules at each step of the plant lifecycle, while also playing important roles in biotic and abiotic responses to environmental cues. The book summarizes key advances in the field of NO and H2O2 research, focusing on a range of processes including: signaling, metabolism, seed germination, development, sexual reproduction, fruit ripening, and defense.