The book provides general principles and new insights of some plant physiology aspects covering abiotic stress, plant water relations, mineral nutrition and reproduction. Plant response to reduced water availability and other abiotic stress (e.g. metals) have been analysed through changes in water absorption and transport mechanisms, as well as by molecular and genetic approach. A relatively new aspects of fruit nutrition are presented in order to provide the basis for the improvement of some fruit quality traits. The involvement of hormones, nutritional and proteomic plant profiles together with some structure/function of sexual components have also been addressed. Written by leading scientists from around the world it may serve as source of methods, theories, ideas and tools for students, researchers and experts in that areas of plant physiology.

The conception of Volume 17 of the International Treatise Series on Advances in Plant Physiology has been made possible entirely due to worthy contributions from World Scientists, teachers and researchers of eminence in unequivocal fields. Scientists are well in search of specific and complete literature pertaining to meaningful research for the holistic development of agriculture. The undertaking of this Treatise Series on Plant Physiology is to genuinely categorize the insufficiencies in view of mounting consequential researches for increasing productivity, prosperity and sustainability of agriculture through influential and developing technologies for restructuring metabolic limitations most responsive to abiotic stress factors. Certainly, our idea is to recognize innovative science of value across the broad disciplinary range of the treatise. The aim is to make stronger the distinctive outcome of conscientious research in some of the very sensitive areas of Plant Physiology-Plant Molecular Physiology/ Molecular Biology that broadly highlights the recent developments and mechanisms underlying plant resilience to changing environments. This volume brings collectively much needed twenty-one review articles by fifty-one dedicated contributors for this volume assorted into five relevant sections, viz., Section I: Abiotic Stresses & Plant Productivity: Physiological & Molecular Perspectives; Section II:Plant Trace Elements in Plant Physiology; Section III: Plant Functions Research in Agricultural Progression; Section IV: Physiological Basis of Yield; Section V: Nutraceuticals, Medicinal & Aromatic Plant Wealth. This is commendable that the Volume 17 deals with challenges of ongoing international concern over the abiotic stresses under changing climate besides vital aspects related to image-based plant phenotyping; phenomics and its application in physiological breeding; trace elements; plant functions; physiological basis of yield variation; medicinal and aromatic plants and so on. Apart from fulfilling the acute need of this kind of select edition in different volumes for research teams and scientists engaged in various facets of plant sciences research in traditional and agricultural universities, institutes and research laboratories throughout the world, it would be extremely a constructive book and a voluminous reference material for acquiring advanced knowledge by post-graduate and Ph.D. scholars in response to the innovative courses in Plant Physiology, Plant Biochemistry, Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Environmental Sciences, Plant Pathology, Microbiology, Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Botany.

Researches have made tremendous progress in the area of Plant Physiology, greatly increasing our understanding of living processes, necessary for biotechnological research. Different volumes of the treatise ``Advances in Plant Physiology'' covers the entire spectrum of Plant Physiology including the Plant Molecular Biology in order to encourage meaningful research in the coming twenty-first century. The true endeavor in this direction is the result of comprehensive, authoritative and timely publication of this valuable treatise, provides the reader with the most recent information, views and references focused on individual topics through a rich collection of reviews contributed by pioneer workers and of those actively engaged in the studies of various specific areas in different parts of the world with extensive experience, established record of eminence and noted authorities. In fact, this treatise is a treasure for interdisciplinary exchange of information and the approach to topic ranges from theoretical to applied molecular to organismic and single to multivariable systems.(/br)(/br)Apart from fulfilling the need of this treatise for research teams and scientists actively working in the areas of plant physiology biochemistry and plant molecular biology in universities institutes and research laboratories throughout the world, it would be extremely a useful book and a voluminous reference material for acquiring advanced knowledge by students in response to innovative courses in Plant Physiology, Plant Biochemistry, Agronomy, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Genetic Engineering, Microbiology, Plant Biotechnology and Botany. Over eighteen (18) chapters of Vol. 1 extensively elucidate the needful topics of Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Plant Cell and Tissue Culture, Plant Metabolism , certain rare Techniques in Plant Physiology, Herbicides Physiology, Plant Growth Regulators, Physiology of Rooting, Tree Physiology, Stress Physiology (in part) and Growth and Development Hopefully, Vol. II will comprise other important topics.Volume I.The volume I, provides to the reader with the most recent information, views and references focused on individual topics through a rich collection of reviews contributed by pioneer workers, actively engaged in the study of plant physiology in different parts of the world. In fact this treatise is a treasure for interdisciplinary exchange of information and the approach to topic ranges from theoretical to applied, molecular to organismic and single to multivariable systems. Over eighteen chapters, extensively elucidate the needful topics of Biological nitrogen - fixation, plant cell and tissue culture, plant metabolism, certain rare techniques in plant physiology : Herbicide physiology, plant growth regulators, physiology of rooting, tree physiology, stress physiology and growth and development.Contents:I. BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION1. Nitrogen fixation in leguminous crops under saline conditions and the manoeuvrability of their response through plant growth regulators - Neera Garg and I.S. Dua2. Biological nitrogen fixation in non-legumes : Cereals - J.D.S. Panwar and R. ElanchezhianII. PLANT CELL AND TISSUE CULTURE3. Plant tissue culture : Current trends and future prospects - Minal Mhatre and P.S. Rao4. Selection of mutants using plant cell and tissue culture - P. Suprasanna and P.S. RaoIII. PLANT METABOLISM5. Leaf Senescence : Physiological and biochemical aspects - A. Hemantaranjan , O.K.Garg and D.N. Tyagi6. Signaling molecules in plant metabolism - S. Naresh KumarIV. HERBICIDE PHYSIOLOGY IN RELATION TO NITROGEN FIXATION7. Physiological responses of genetically improved nitrogen- fixing cyanobacteria to agro-chemicalization in relation to paddy culture : Prospect as a source material for engineering herbicide sensitivity and resistance in plants - A. VaishampayanV. PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS 8. Physiology of grain growth in aestivum wheats with special reference to the role played by plant growth regulating substances in modulating the sink efficiency - I.S. Dua, Bhupinder Singh and K.K. Dhir9. Salicylic acid : a new PGR in signal transduction - H.S. Gehlot, Sanjay Purohit, K.K. Bora and S.P. Bohra10. Triazoles : A new group of promising synthetic plant growth regulators - R.P. Raghav and Nisha RaghavVI. PHYSIOLOGY OF ROOTING11. Physiology of rooting : Effect of some metabolic inhibitors on the rooting response of hypocotyl cuttings of Phaseolus mungo and associated biochemical changes - I.S. Dua, Manjit Singh, Neera Garg and K.K. DhirVII. TREE PHYSIOLOGY12. Role of net carbon balance in flowering and yield of fruit trees - K.S. Shivankara and C.K. MathaiVIII. STRESS PHYSIOLOGY13. Relationship between water stress and abundance of Phytophagous insects - C.P. Srivastava and R.M. Singh 14. Influence of salinity stress on crop plants - J.P. SrivastavaIX. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT15. Physiology of fruit ripening - U.S. Prasad16. Physiology of seed and bud dormancy - R. PanneerselvamX. TECHNIQUES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY17.Analytical improvements in the vibrational spectroscopy for the study of biological systems - A. Javier Aller18. Looking into the major achievements in the analytical electrothermal atomic spectrometric techniques - A. Javier Aller

Over the past decade, our understanding of plant adaptation to environmental stress has grown considerably. This book focuses on stress caused by the inanimate components of the environment associated with climatic, edaphic and physiographic factors that substantially limit plant growth and survival. Categorically these are abiotic stresses, which include drought, salinity, non-optimal temperatures and poor soil nutrition. Another stress, herbicides, is covered in this book to highlight how plants are impacted by abiotic stress originating from anthropogenic sources. The book also addresses the high degree to which plant responses to quite diverse forms of environmental stress are interconnected, describing the ways in which the plant utilizes and integrates many common signals and subsequent pathways to cope with less favorable conditions. The book is directed at researchers and professionals in plant physiology, cell biology and molecular biology, in both the academic and industrial sectors.

If one may recall nearly half a century ago, there wre small books, Methuen series publishing on special subjects like photosynthesis (C.P. Whittingham) and Plant Respiration (W.Stiles) in the 1950s and have been of great guidance for post-graduate studies in those years. Now great breakthrough have been made with the introduction of isotopes, modern tools and instruments which can project into the cell components and unravel the 'secrets' of plant life, with the results no one book could so completely cover a single topic like photosynthesis or respiration.

This book provides up-to-date knowledge of the promising field of Nanobiotechnology with emphasis on the mitigation approaches to combat plant abiotic stress factors, including drought, salinity, waterlog, temperature extremes, mineral nutrients, and heavy metals. These factors adversely affect the growth as well as yield of crop plants worldwide, especially under the global climate change. Nanobiotechnology is viewed to revolutionize crop productivity in future. The chapters discuss the status and prospects of this cutting-edge technology toward understanding tolerance mechanisms, including signaling molecules and enzymes regulation in addition to the applications of Nanobiotechnology to combat individual abiotic stress factors.