As scientific progress hinges on the continual discovery and extension of previous discoveries, this series, Discoveries in Plant Biology, is specially compiled to provide an atlas of the landmark discoveries in the broad span of plant biology. The collection of chapters, written by renowned plant biologists, describe how classic discoveries were made and how they have served as the foundation for subsequent discoveries. We hope that this will facilitate our readers' quest to advance their knowledge based on the advancements made previously by others.The 21 discoveries described in this First Volume all form the foundations of modern plant biology. The contributors, many of whom are themselves the researchers who made the discoveries, bring readers back in time to retrace the steps of the discoveries. Following the creative thoughts of the scientists in deciphering the natural laws, readers may appreciate how each field was developed from a simple subject to an advanced multidisciplinary field.

Excerpt from Source Book on Gibberellin, 1828-1957 It was our good fortune at this laboratory to have had a part in this interesting development. In the course of our work I was obliged to cover rather thoroughly the many scattered papers on the subject: The results were not satisfying. The many errors in reference citation, the difficulties in Japanese translation, and the lack of abstracts for many articles in that language, all combined to make the task an onerous one. Increased familiarity with the literature, however, finally overcame initial gloom and eventually led to the consoling thought that perhaps my bibliographic efforts might be used for the benefit of others, hence, this book. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This is the first of the set of three volumes in the Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, that will cover the area of the hormonal regulation of plant growth and development. The overall plan for the set assumes that this area of plant physiology is sufficiently mature for a review of current knowledge to be organized in terms of unifying principles and processes. Reviews in the past have generally treated each class of hormone individually, but this set of volumes is subdivided according to the properties common to all classes. Such an organization permits the examination of the hypothesis that differing classes of hormones, acting according to common principles, are determinants of processes and phases in plant development. Also in keeping with this theme, a plant hormone is defined as a compound with the properties held in common by the native members of the recognized classes of hormone. Current knowledge of the hormonal regulation of plant development is grouped so that the three volumes consider advancing levels of organizational complexity, viz: molecular and subcellular; cells, tissues, organs, and the plant as an organized whole; and the plant in relation to its environment. The present volume treats the molecular and subcellular aspects of hormones and the processes they regulate. Although it deals with chemically distinct classes of hormone, this volume stresses properties and modes of studying them, that are common to all classes.

Plant Physiology: A Treatise, Volume VIB: Physiology of Development: The Hormones focuses on the history and status of the hormone concept in plant physiology. This book considers the responses of plant cells, tissues, and organs to regulatory substances that may be naturally occurring, exogenously applied, or even synthetic in their origin. References to auxins and other plant hormones, or regulatory substances, are made throughout at levels that extend from cell division and cell enlargement, cell physiology and metabolism, to morphogenesis and reproduction. This volume begins with an introduction to naturally occurring plant hormones ranging from auxins to gibberellins, cytokinins, and ethylene. This book also looks at some of the clearest and best studied cases where growth is controlled by interactions between two or more hormones. The concept of hormone action in plants is discussed, along with methods of auxin bioassay and the nature and metabolism of indole auxins. The physiological actions, transport, and mode of action of auxins are described, followed by an overview of naturally occurring growth inhibitors such as phenols, flavonoids, and abscisic acid. This book is intended for researchers, students, and specialists in related fields who wish to gain insight on the concepts and research trends in plant hormones.