Handbook of Plant and Crop Physiology

Preface

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Like any other area in science, both the scope and depth of our knowledge of plant and crop physiology
are rapidly expanding. Plant/crop physiologists are continuously making new discoveries. This phe-
nomenon has resulted in the compilation of a large volume of information since the first edition of the
Handbook of Plant and Crop Physiologywas prepared and presented to scientists and professionals. The
abundance of new data has necessitated that this unique, comprehensive source of information be revised
to include all the new discoveries in the field. Like the first edition, the new edition of the Handbook of
Plant and Crop Physiologyis a unique, comprehensive, and complete collection of the topics in
plant/crop physiology.
More than two-thirds of the material in the new edition is entirely new; these are included under new
titles. The other one-third has been updated and substantially modified. This new edition consists of 12
parts while the first edition consisted of eight. Overall, about 80% of this book is new and a totally new
volume has emerged.
TheHandbook of Plant and Crop Physiologyis needed to fill the gap in the available literature. In
addition, it has long been recognized that physiological processes control plant growth and crop yields.
Therefore, this handbook is prepared in a single volume to serve as a comprehensive resource and up-to-
date reference to effectively cover the information relevant to plant/crop physiology that is scattered
among plant/crop physiology books as well as plant physiology journals.
Several difficult decisions must be made when one plans to compile a handbook, such as the extent
of content to include, the information to exclude, the depth to which the topics should be covered, and the
organization of the selected content. I have chosen to include information that will be beneficial to stu-
dents, instructors, researchers, field specialists, and any others interested in the areas of plant and crop
physiology. In order to plan, implement, and evaluate comprehensive and specific strategies for dealing
with plant and crop physiology problems, strategies must be based on a firm understanding of the facts
and the principles.
The topics selected for discussion are those that I believe are relevant, and in which physiology plays
the dominant role. The concepts have been presented to allow both beginning students and specialists of
this discipline an opportunity to expand and refine their knowledge. Certain conclusions provided