Water management, pollution, the dying of coral reefs, the privatization of drinking water, and the melting of the ice caps are only some of the critical interrelated water issues facing humankind in the 21st Century. This four-volume encyclopedia brings together contributors from the full range of disciplines concerned with the science, politics, and economics of water, presenting some 300 alphabetical entries that explain disparate issues and topics in laymen's language. Examples include "markets, water;" "Mars, water on;" "oceanography from space;" Cousteau, Jacques;" and "Safe Drinking Water Act." As evidence by the last, non-global legal or political issues are generally limited to an American context. A useful glossary containing common terms is included in each of the volumes. Color photographs, charts, and maps illustrate the material.

Respiration in plants, as in all living organisms, is essential to provide metabolic energy and carbon skeletons for growth and maintenance. As such, respiration is an essential component of a plant’s carbon budget. Depending on species and environmental conditions, it consumes 25-75% of all the carbohydrates produced in photosynthesis – even more at extremely slow growth rates. Respiration in plants can also proceed in a manner that produces neither metabolic energy nor carbon skeletons, but heat. This type of respiration involves the cyanide-resistant, alternative oxidase; it is unique to plants, and resides in the mitochondria. The activity of this alternative pathway can be measured based on a difference in fractionation of oxygen isotopes between the cytochrome and the alternative oxidase. Heat production is important in some flowers to attract pollinators; however, the alternative oxidase also plays a major role in leaves and roots of most plants. A common thread throughout this volume is to link respiration, including alternative oxidase activity, to plant functioning in different environments.

Abiotic stress adversely affects crop production worldwide, decreasing average yields for most of the crops to 50%. Among various abiotic stresses affecting agricultural production, drought stress is considered to be the main source of yield reduction around the globe. Due to an increasing world population, drought stress will lead to a serious food shortage by 2050. The situation may become worse due to predicated global climate change that may multiply the frequency and duration and severity of such abiotic stresses. Hence, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding on complex mechanisms of drought stress tolerance and to develop modern varieties that are more resilient to drought stress. Identification of the potential novel genes responsible for drought tolerance in crop plants will contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism of crop responses to drought stress. The discovery of novel genes, the analysis of their expression patterns in response to drought stress, and the determination of their potential functions in drought stress adaptation will provide the basis of effective engineering strategies to enhance crop drought stress tolerance. Although the in-depth water stress tolerance mechanisms is still unclear, it can be to some extent explained on the basis of ion homeostasis mediated by stress adaptation effectors, toxic radical scavenging, osmolyte biosynthesis, water transport, and long distance signaling response coordination. Importantly, complete elucidation of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms for drought stress, perception, transduction, and tolerance is still a challenge to the plant biologists. The findings presented in volume 1 call attention to the physiological and biochemical modalities of drought stress that influence crop productivity, whereas volume 2 summarizes our current understanding on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of drought stress resistance in plants.

Plants are subjected to a variety of abiotic stresses such as drought, temperature, salinity, air pollution, heavy metals, UV radiations, etc. To survive under these harsh conditions plants are equipped with different resistance mechanisms which vary from species to species. Due to the environmental fluctuations agricultural and horticultural crops are often exposed to different environmental stresses leading to decreased yield and problems in the growth and development of the crops. Drought stress has been found to decrease the yield to an alarming rate of some important crops throughout the globe. During last few decades, lots of physiological and molecular works have been conducted under water stress in crop plants. Water Stress and Crop Plants: A Sustainable Approach presents an up-to-date in-depth coverage of drought and flooding stress in plants, including the types, causes and consequences on plant growth and development. It discusses the physiobiochemical, molecular and omic approaches, and responses of crop plants towards water stress. Topics include nutritional stress, oxidative stress, hormonal regulation, transgenic approaches, mitigation of water stress, approaches to sustainability, and modern tools and techniques to alleviate the water stress on crop yields. This practical book offers pragmatic guidance for scientists and researchers in plant biology, and agribusinesses and biotechnology companies dealing with agronomy and environment, to mitigate the negative effects of stress and improve yield under stress. The broad coverage also makes this a valuable guide enabling students to understand the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of environmental stress in plants.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the multiple strategies that plants have developed to cope with drought, one of the most severe environmental stresses. Experts in the field present 17 chapters, each of which focuses on a basic concept as well as the latest findings. The following major aspects are covered in the book: · Morphological and anatomical adaptations · Physiological responses · Biochemical and molecular responses · Ecophysiological responses · Responses to drought under field conditions The contributions will serve as an invaluable source of information for researchers and advanced students in the fields of plant sciences, agriculture, ecophysiology, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Responses of Plants to Environmental Stresses, Second Edition, Volume II: Water, Radiation, Salt, and Other Stresses focuses on the effects of stresses on plants. This book discusses how stresses produce their damaging effects and how living organisms defend themselves against stresses. Organized into six parts encompassing 12 chapters, this edition starts with an overview of the various responses of plants to the severities of all the other environmental stresses, with emphasis on the physical and biological stresses and strains. This text then describes water stress in plants, which arise either from an excessive or from an insufficient water activity in the plant's environment. Other chapters consider the resistance to drought stress of plants. This book discusses as well the effects of flooding, which replaces gaseous air by liquid water. The final chapter deals with the comparative stress responses of plants. This book is a valuable resource for plant biologists.

A close examination of current research on abiotic stresses in various plant species The unpredictable environmental stress conditions associated with climate change are significant challenges to global food security, crop productivity, and agricultural sustainability. Rapid population growth and diminishing resources necessitate the development of crops that can adapt to environmental extremities. Although significant advancements have been made in developing plants through improved crop breeding practices and genetic manipulation, further research is necessary to understand how genes and metabolites for stress tolerance are modulated, and how cross-talk and regulators can be tuned to achieve stress tolerance. Molecular Plant Abiotic Stress: Biology and Biotechnology is an extensive investigation of the various forms of abiotic stresses encountered in plants, and susceptibility or tolerance mechanisms found in different plant species. In-depth examination of morphological, anatomical, biochemical, molecular and gene expression levels enables plant scientists to identify the different pathways and signaling cascades involved in stress response. This timely book: Covers a wide range of abiotic stresses in multiple plant species Provides researchers and scientists with transgenic strategies to overcome stress tolerances in several plant species Compiles the most recent research and up-to-date data on stress tolerance Examines both selective breeding and genetic engineering approaches to improving plant stress tolerances Written and edited by prominent scientists and researchers from across the globe Molecular Plant Abiotic Stress: Biology and Biotechnology is a valuable source of information for students, academics, scientists, researchers, and industry professionals in fields including agriculture, botany, molecular biology, biochemistry and biotechnology, and plant physiology.

This book provides a comprehensive review of all aspects of the molecular and cell biology of abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism, transport and signal transduction, covering our current understanding of ABA as well as research trends. The agricultural significance of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction is also discussed. The phytohormone ABA regulates many aspects of plant development and plays a central role in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Over the past few decades, considerable advances have been made in the study of ABA metabolism, transport and signal transduction, greatly deepening our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ABA function at the molecular, cell and whole-plant level and helping us improve crops’ environmental tolerance. This book provides a valuable resource for researchers and advanced students interested in plant biology and agriculture.

Plants are subjected to a variety of abiotic stresses such as drought, temperature, salinity, air pollution, heavy metals, UV radiations, etc. To survive under these harsh conditions plants are equipped with different resistance mechanisms which vary from species to species. Due to the environmental fluctuations agricultural and horticultural crops are often exposed to different environmental stresses leading to decreased yield and problems in the growth and development of the crops. Drought stress has been found to decrease the yield to an alarming rate of some important crops throughout the globe. During last few decades, lots of physiological and molecular works have been conducted under water stress in crop plants. Water Stress and Crop Plants: A Sustainable Approach presents an up-to-date in-depth coverage of drought and flooding stress in plants, including the types, causes and consequences on plant growth and development. It discusses the physiobiochemical, molecular and omic approaches, and responses of crop plants towards water stress. Topics include nutritional stress, oxidative stress, hormonal regulation, transgenic approaches, mitigation of water stress, approaches to sustainability, and modern tools and techniques to alleviate the water stress on crop yields. This practical book offers pragmatic guidance for scientists and researchers in plant biology, and agribusinesses and biotechnology companies dealing with agronomy and environment, to mitigate the negative effects of stress and improve yield under stress. The broad coverage also makes this a valuable guide enabling students to understand the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of environmental stress in plants.