Woody oil crops are perennial crops producing fruits or seeds with high oil contents, such as oil olive, oil Camellia, walnut et al. Woody oil crops usually distribute in lands not suitable for herbaceous oil crops and therefore serve as important supplement to herbaceous oil crop production. Many woody oil crops are famous for special fatty acid composition (e.g. high oleic acid content in olive and Camellia oil) and rich healthy components in fruits or seeds. Key traits of woody oil crops are essential for breeding and production, such as fruit/seed yield, size, weight, oil content, fatty acid and other valuable compositions, tolerance to drought, cold, and low nutrition stresses. Compared to herbaceous oil crops, key trait formation and regulation in woody oil crops are not well studied. This research topic is aimed to summarize recent advances in key trait formation and regulation in woody oil crops and provides scientific bases for breeding and production. In this Research Topic, we welcome all article types published by Frontiers in Plant Science that focus on the key trait formation and regulation in woody oil crops including recent advances in: • Molecular bases and regulations of flower, fruit, and seed development in woody oil crops • Oil synthesis and metabolism pathways and regulations in woody oil crops • Secondary metabolite synthesis and regulation in woody oil crops • Transport and distribution mechanisms of photosynthetic products and regulations in woody oil crops • Molecular mechanisms of tolerance to abiotic stresses (e.g. drought, cold, low nutrition) in woody oil crops

Woody plants such as trees have a significant economic and climatic influence on global economies and ecologies. This completely revised classic book is an up-to-date synthesis of the intensive research devoted to woody plants published in the second edition, with additional important aspects from the authors' previous book, Growth Control in Woody Plants. Intended primarily as a reference for researchers, the interdisciplinary nature of the book makes it useful to a broad range of scientists and researchers from agroforesters, agronomists, and arborists to plant pathologists and soil scientists. This third edition provides crutial updates to many chapters, including: responses of plants to elevated CO2; the process and regulation of cambial growth; photoinhibition and photoprotection of photosynthesis; nitrogen metabolism and internal recycling, and more. Revised chapters focus on emerging discoveries of the patterns and processes of woody plant physiology.* The only book to provide recommendations for the use of specific management practices and experimental procedures and equipment*Updated coverage of nearly all topics of interest to woody plant physiologists* Extensive revisions of chapters relating to key processes in growth, photosynthesis, and water relations* More than 500 new references * Examples of molecular-level evidence incorporated in discussion of the role of expansion proteins in plant growth; mechanism of ATP production by coupling factor in photosynthesis; the role of cellulose synthase in cell wall construction; structure-function relationships for aquaporin proteins

When one is privileged to participate long enough in a professional capacity, certain trends may be observed in the dynamics of how challenges are met or how problems are solved. Agricultural research is no exception in view of how the plant sciences have moved forward in the past 30 years. For example, the once grand but now nearly forgotten art of whole plant physiology has given way almost completely to the more sophisticated realm of molecular biology. What once was the American Society of Plant Physiologists’ is now the American Society of Plant Molecular Biology; a democratic decision to indemnify efforts to go beyond the limits of the classical science and actually begin to understand the underlying biological basis for genetic regulation of metabolic mechanisms in plants. Yet, as new technologies open windows of light on the inner workings of biological processes, one might reminisce with faint nostalgia on days long past when the artisans of plant physiology, biochemistry, analytical chemistry and other scientific disciplines ebbed and waned in prominence. No intentional reference is made here regarding Darwinism; the plant sciences always have been extremely competitive. Technology is pivotal. Those who develop and/or implement innovative concepts typically are regarded as leaders in their respective fields. Each positive incremental step helps bring recognition and the impetus to push a scientific discipline forward with timely approaches to address relevant opportunities.

This book covers the biotechnology of all the major fruit and nut species. Since the very successful first edition of this book in 2004, there has been rapid progress for many fruit and nut species in cell culture, genomics and genetic transformation, especially for citrus and papaya. This book covers both these cutting-edge technologies and regeneration pathways, protoplast culture, in vitro mutagenesis, ploidy manipulation techniques that have been applied to a wider range of species. Three crop species, Diospyros kaki (persimmon), Punica granatum (pomegranate) and Eriobotrya japonica (loquat) are included for the first time. The chapters are organized by plant family to make it easier to make comparisons and exploitation of work with related species. Each chapter discusses the plant family and the related wild species for 38 crop species, and has colour illustrations. It is essential for scientists and post graduate students who are engaged in the improvement of fruit, nut and plantation crops.

A collection of papers that comprehensively describe the major areas of research on lipid metabolism of plants. State-of-the-art knowledge about research on fatty acid and glycerolipid biosynthesis, isoprenoid metabolism, membrane structure and organization, lipid oxidation and degradation, lipids as intracellular and extracellular messengers, lipids and environment, oil seeds and gene technology is reviewed. The different topics covered show that modern tools of plant cellular and molecular biology, as well as molecular genetics, have been recently used to characterize several key enzymes of plant lipid metabolism (in particular, desaturases, thioesterases, fatty acid synthetase) and to isolate corresponding cDNAs and genomic clones, allowing the use of genetic engineering methods to modify the composition of membranes or storage lipids. These findings open fascinating perspectives, both for establishing the roles of lipids in membrane function and intracellular signalling and for adapting the composition of seed oil to the industrial needs. This book will be a good reference source for research scientists, advanced students and industrialists wishing to follow the considerable progress made in recent years on plant lipid metabolism and to envision the new opportunities offered by genetic engineering for the development of novel oil seeds.

Biofuels are promising eco-friendly, renewable energy alternatives, simultaneously curbing the dependence on depleting fossil fuel reserves, reducing the global carbon footprint. However, there have been technological constraints deterring the global wide-scale adoption of biofuel. Biofuels: Scientific Explorations and Technologies for a Sustainable Environment presents a comprehensive analysis of different types of biofuels. Five sections provide detailed information on the history and discovery of biofuels, first-generation biofuels, second-generation biofuels, third-generation biofuels, and beyond, as well as prospects of biofuels as cleaner and greener alternatives. FEATURES Introduces the history of the origin of biofuels Narrates the evolution of biofuel raw material beyond generations, from food crops to plastic waste Explains the application of primary biofuel types: biodiesel, bioethanol, and biohydrogen Discusses the promises and prospects of biofuel for a cleaner, sustainable future Biofuels: Scientific Explorations and Technologies for a Sustainable Environment analyzes the promising future of biofuel technology and its judicious use to minimize dependency on fossil fuels. It is designed for academia, scientists, and researchers, as well as industrialists, environmentalists, biofuel technicians, R&D industries, and those from the petroleum industry.