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This book discusses molecular approaches in plant as response to environmental factors, such as variations in temperature, water availability, salinity, and metal stress. The book also covers the impact of increasing global population, urbanization, and industrialization on these molecular behaviors. It covers the natural tolerance mechanism which plants adopt to cope with adverse environments, as well as the novel molecular strategies for engineering the plants in human interest. This book will be of interest to researchers working on the impact of the changing environment on plant ecology, issues of crop yield, and nutrient quantity and quality in agricultural crops. The book will be of interest to researchers as well as policy makers in the environmental and agricultural domains.

Environmental stresses, such as high and low temperature, salinity, and drought, represent limiting factors to agricultural productivity worldwide. Their impact is not only on crops that are presently being cultivated, but they are also significant barriers to the introduction of crop plants into noncultivated areas. The book describes the cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms in plants that regulate tolerance to stresses. Also discussed are prospects of engineering stress-tolerant plants through the modification of germplasm.

Books dealing with climatic change are commonplace, as are those concerned with effects of environmental stresses on plants. The present volume distinguishes itself from earlier publications by highlighting several interrelated environmental stresses that are changing in intensity as the climate warms in response to the accumulation of'greenhouse'gases. The stresses examined at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop upon which this book is based include atmospheric pollutants, flooding and sub­ mergence, drought and cold. In future, successful farming or landscape management will ultimately depend on strategies that offset the effects of these and other environmental constraints, while exploiting more favourable features. However, the to predicted speed of climate change may exceed the rate at which new approaches farming, forestry, landscape management and genetic conservation can be developed through experience and retroactive response. The alternative is to anticipate future needs and thus identify appropriate management and legislative strategies by research and discussion. The contents of this volume contribute to these vital processes, upon which the productivity of agroecosystems and conservation of natural ecosystems may increasingly depend. Those with any lingering doubts concerning the gravity of the likely future situation are especially encouraged to read the opening chapter. For convenience, chapters discussing pollution, flooding, drought and cold are grouped in separate sections. However, many authors have taken care to emphasise that interactions between the changing combinations of stresses pose particular problems for plants and plant communities.

This volume is based on the proceedings of the Phytochemical Society of North America's 23rd Annual Meet­ ing on'Phytochemical Adaptations to Stress'which was held at the University of Arizona, Tucson, July 5-8, 1983. It contains a series of articles which focus on our current knowledge on the production of secondary (natural) metabolites by higher plants in response to biological and physiological stresses. The editors of this volume are deeply indebted to a number of people and organizations for their support and contributions which were critical to the success of this scientific meeting. Generous grant support was provided by the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agricul­ ture. Additional financial support came from the Phytochemical Society of North America. Indispensable services and personnel were donated by the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the College of Agriculture and the Office of Arid Lands Studies of the University of Arizona. Special recognition is due to Paul Mirocha of the Office of Arid Lands Studies for his drawing of the frontispiece and the superb photograph on the jacket. The Division of Conferences and Short Courses of the University of Arizona deserves credit for its pivotal role in maintaining a well-run and pleasant conference. Many other volunteers gave their time and energy to make the Symposium a success; we wish to mention two from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brian Week and Catherine L. Buckner.

In the present scenario, stresses induced due to global environmental change have indeed become a focal point of researches and study programmes worldwide. Stress caused to plant life has an important consequence to both, vegetation as such and all other global cycles which sustain this `living earth'. Unlike other already existing works this volume elucidates the plant-pollutant relationship in a manner that defines not only the drastic effects of pollutants on plants but concomitantly highlights the hitherto less focused areas namely phytoindication, phytoremediation and stress tolerant bioaesthetic development, thus concentrating more on plant than pollutant. The book would help understand the magnitude of environmental stress in the coming years and may play a formative role in defining future research and policy areas along with providing impetus to development of newer eco-technologies. The book shall interest both students and researchers of environmental sciences, ecology, forestry and related disciplines as well as persons and organisations engaged in environmental management and eco-conservation.

Environmental stresses represent the most limiting factors for agricultural productivity worldwide. These stresses impact not only current crop species, they are also significant barriers to the introduction of crop plants into areas that are not currently being used for agriculture. Stresses associated with temperature, salinity and drought, singly or in combination, are likely to enhance the severity of problems to which plants will be exposed in the coming decades. The present book brings together contributions from many laboratories around the world to discuss and compare our current knowledge of the role stress genes play in plant stress tolerance. In addition, strategies are discussed to introduce these genes and the processes that they encode into economically important crops, and the effect this will have on plant productivity.

The workshop'Genes and their products for tolerance to physical stresses in plants'was held in Maratea, Italy, from 24-27 September 1995. As one of a series of activity launched by the European Science Foundation (ESF) Network'Cell Stress Genes and their Protein Products', the workshop was the only one entirely devoted to research in the plant field. Around one hundred participants from fourteen different countries enjoyed a lively meeting in an atmosphere of sunny Mediterranean weather. A total of twenty-eight speakers from universities and research institutes were invited to present the most recent results of their research. The workshop was divided into eight sessions, namely heat, cold, salt, drought, oxidative stress, light stress, a conclusive session for recommendations and a poster session. The results reported in this workshop broadly showed the rapid progress made in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying basic aspects of the plant response to environmental stresses.

Exactly 35 years after the first Colloquium was held, the Eleventh International Plant Nutrition Colloquium took place from 30 July to 4 August 1989 in Wageningen, The Netherlands. Although impressive progress has been made during the past decades in our understanding of the mechanisms of uptake, distribution and assimilation of nutrients in relation to crop yield and quality, there are still significant gaps in our insight into many fundamental aspects of plant mineral nutrition and related metabolic processes. In spite of improved knowledge of nutrient requirements of crops and improved fertilizer application strategies, the world population remains to be burdened with an enormous shortage of plant products for food, timber, fuel, shelter, and other purposes. The main challenge facing the plant nutrition research community is to at least alleviate the increasing world-wide need for applying scientific knowledge to practical problems in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. It is therefore felt by many scientists that the Plant Nutrition Colloquia, which are intended to bring together scientists and to integrate knowledge and approaches acquired in plant physiology, biochemis­ try, soil science, agronomy and related disciplines, have indeed made a significant contribution to the advancement of our knowledge and understanding in this vital and interdisciplinary field of agrobiology. About 260 scientists from 40 nations attended the Colloquium in Wageningen.

Maintaining or increasing stand productivity is the concern of forest land managers worldwide. Consequently, there is increasing interest in understanding the impact of environmental stress on productivity and the development of management strategies that ameliorate or reduce the deleterious effects. Invited scientists gathered in Fort Collins, Colorado on July 30, 1985, to present the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of environmental stress on forest stand productivity. Particular attention was given to elucidating the mode of action by which individual stress elements reduce productivity. Environmental factors and the levels that constitute stressed (suboptimal) conditions in forest stands were identified, and the effects of stress intensity and duration on key stand parameters, including photosynthesis, respiration, assimilate partitioning, senescence and mortality, were emphasized. The role of genetics and silvicultural treatments in lessening the stress impact on stand productivity was presented, particularly in regards to alternative methods for environmental stress management. Modeling of stand dynamics in response to environmental stress was explored as an effective research and management tool. VIII Improved forest management practices will develop as we improve our understanding of the nature of important environmental stresses and as we comprehend their impact on tree and stand performance, manifested through physiological processes and genetic potential. This book is dedicated to such an understanding and comprehension.