Methods in Plant Biochemistry, Volume 1: Plant Phenolics reviews current knowledge about techniques used in the analysis of the biochemistry of plant polyphenols and their importance in the agricultural and food industries. It looks at the application of these techniques in the fractionation of cellular constituents, isolation of enzymes, electrophoretic separation of nucleic acids and proteins, and chromatographic identification of the intermediates and products of cellular metabolism. Organized into 15 chapters, this book opens with an overview of the general procedures and measurement of total phenolics, from detecting phenolic substances in crude plant extracts to determining which classes they belong to and the quantitative estimation of total phenol. The reader is introduced to the chemistry, structural variation, function, and distribution of each class of plant phenolics and, in a few cases where this is practicable, detailed listings of known derivatives are given. Most chapters focus on chromatographic separations and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), along with thin layer and paper Rf values with HPLC retention times and NMR spectroscopy. The book also outlines the procedures for the extraction, isolation, separation, and characterization of different classes of phenolic compounds, ranging from phenols and phenolic acids to phenylpropanoids, lignins, stilbenes and phenanthrenes, flavones and flavonols, chalcones and aurones, flavanoids, anthocyanins, biflavanoids, tannins, isoflavanoids, quinones, xanthones, and lichen substances. The book is a valuable resource for students, biochemists, and researchers in the plant sciences.

In 1958, a single volume in the original series of this Encyclopedia adequately summarized the state of knowledge about plant carbohydrates. Expansion into two volumes in the New Series highlights the explosive increase in information and the heightened interest that attended this class of compounds in the interven ing years. Even now the search has just begun. Much remains to be accom plished; e.g., a full description of the plant cell wall in chemical terms. Why this growing fascination with plant carbohydrates? Clearly, much credit goes to those who pioneered the complex chemistry of polyhydroxylated compounds and to those who later sorted out the biochemical features of these molecules. But there is a second aspect, the role of carbohydrates in such biological func tions as host-parasite and pollen-pistil interactions, the mating reaction in fungi, symbiosis, and secretion to name a few. Here is ample reason for anyone concerned with the plant sciences to turn aside for a moment and consider how carbohydrates, so many years neglected in favor of the study of proteins and nucleic acids, contribute to the physiological processes of growth and devel opment in plants.

Provides a historical foundation as well as a review of the state-of- the-art in forage science, detailing 25 years of progress in forage quality, evaluation, and utilization, along with the latest developments and new directions for future research. The volume is divided into six sections: overview of forage science; identification and quantitative measurement of forage quality components; intake as a critical element of forest quality; role of digestion and metabolism in determining forage quality; integrating concepts affecting changes in forage quality; and improving forage quality and evaluation. No index. Member price, $36. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In much of biology, the search for understanding the relation between structure and function is now taking place at the macromolecular level. Proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides are macromolecule--polymers formed from families of simpler subunits. Because of their size and complexity, the polymers are capable of both inter- and intramolecular interactions. These interactions confer upon the polymers distinctive three-dimensional shapes. These tertiary configurations, in turn, determine the function of the macromolecule. Computers have become so inextricably involved in empirical studies of three-dimensional macromolecular structure that mathematical modeling, or theory, and experimental approaches are interrelated aspects of a single enterprise.

Throughout the world 10 million tons of wood are used every year for paper-making, cellulose preparations, tobacco filters, cloth and dietary supplements. Wood is mainly composed of polysaccharides and lignin which are hydrophilic and hydrophobic respectively. This book describes the academic approaches to native bonds between lignin and the carbohhydrates in wood and other plants. The roles of lignin-carbohydrates complexes are discussed for practical use and wood processing. The authors describe the close relationship between lignin-carbohydrate complexes and biobleaching of kraft pulp, and the residual lignin in kraft pulp and their contribution to benzylated wood foaming. In addition they introduce the artificial lignin-carbohydrate bond formation and an enzymic degradation of lignin-carbohydrate bonds.

1 A Leaf Cell Consists of Several Metabolic Compartments 2 The Use of Energy from Sunlight by Photosynthesis is the Basis of Life on Earth 3 Photosynthesis is an Electron Transport Process 4 ATP is Generated by Photosynthesis 5 Mitochondria are the Power Station of the Cell 6 The Calvin Cycle Catalyzes Photosynthetic CO2 Assimilation 7 In the Photorespiratory Pathway Phosphoglycolate Formed by the Oxygenase Activity of RubisCo is Recycled 8 Photosynthesis Implies the Consumption of Water 9 Polysaccharides are Storage and Transport Forms of Carbohydrates Produced by Photosynthesis 10Nitrate Assimilation is Essential for the Synthesis of Organic Matter 11 Nitrogen Fixation Enables the Nitrogen in the Air to be Used for Plant Growth 12 Sulfate Assimilation Enables the Synthesis of Sulfur Containing Substances 13 Phloem Transport Distributes Photoassimilates to the Various Sites of Consumption and Storage 14 Products of Nitrate Assimilation are Deposited in Plants as Storage Proteins 15 Glycerolipids are Membrane Constituents and Function as Carbon Stores 16 Secondary Metabolites Fulfill Specific Ecological Functions in Plants 17 Large Diversity of Isoprenoids has Multiple Funtions in Plant Metabolism 18 Phenylpropanoids Comprise a Multitude of Plant Secondary Metabolites and Cell Wall Components 19 Multiple Signals Regulate the Growth and Development of Plant Organs and Enable Their Adaptation to Environmental Conditions 20 A Plant Cell has Three Different Genomes 21 Protein Biosynthesis Occurs at Different Sites of a Cell 22 Gene Technology Makes it Possible to Alter Plants to Meet Requirements of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Industry.

The Biochemistry of Plants, Volume 14: Carbohydrates provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of plant biochemistry. This book deals with the function and structure of the plant cell wall by describing the physical and chemical properties of cell wall components. Organized into 11 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of hexose phosphate metabolism in nonphotosynthetic tissues. This text then examines the findings in fructan structures, conformations, and linkages, the enzymes involved in fructan synthesis and degradation, and their cellular regulation, location, and metabolic role in plants. Other chapters consider the methods employing enzymes to determine starch structure. This book discusses as well the different biosynthetic modes of plant cell walls. The final chapter deals with the various environmental factors that influence expression of the ?-amylase gene, suggesting how molecular biology may help in understanding carbohydrate biochemistry and the enzymes involved in carbohydrate synthesis and metabolism. This book is a valuable resource for plant biochemists.

Life has evolved as a unified system; no organism exists similar role also has been suggested for fatty acids from alone, but each is in intimate contact with other organisms cyanolipids. Nonprotein amino acids, cyanogenic glyco and its environment. Historically, it was easier for workers sides, and the non-fatty-acid portion of cyanolipids also are in various disciplines to delimit artificially their respective incorporated into primary metabolites during germination. areas of research, rather than attempt to understand the entire Secondary metabolites of these structural types are accumu system of living organisms. This was a pragmatic and neces lated in large quantities in the seeds of several plant groups sary way to develop an understanding for the various parts. where they probably fulfill an additional function as deter We are now at a point, however, where we need to investi rents to general predation. gate those things common to the parts and, specifically, those The second type of relationship involves interaction of things that unify the parts. The fundamental aspects of many plants with other organisms and with their environment. Bio of these interactions are chemical in nature. Plants constitute logical interactions must be viewed in the light of evolution an essential part of all life systems; phytochemistry provides ary change and the coadaptation, or perhaps coevolution, of a medium for linking several fields of study.

Forages: The Science of Grassland Agriculture, 7th Edition, Volume II will extensively evaluate the current knowledge and information on forage agriculture. Chapters written by leading researchers and authorities in grassland agriculture are aggregated under section themes, each one representing a major topic within grassland science and agriculture. This 7th edition will include two new additional chapters covering all aspects of forage physiology in three separate chapters, instead of one in previous editions. Chapters will be updated throughout to include new information that has developed since the last edition. This new edition of the classic reference serves as a comprehensive supplement to An Introduction to Grassland Agriculture, Volume I.