throughout the text are related to the more significant and multifaceted problems of plant and crop phys-
iology. They are presented to provide a concise guide to the most relevant goals of both the students and
the specialists.
This practical and comprehensive guide has been prepared by 76 contributors from 17 countries,
among the most competent and knowledgeable scientists, specialists, and researchers in agriculture. It is
intended to serve as a resource for both lecture and independent purposes—for scientists, agriculture re-
searchers, agriculture practitioners, and both educators and students in agricultural disciplines.
To facilitate the accessibility of desired information, the volume has been divided into 12 parts. Al-
though the parts are interrelated, each serves independently to facilitate the understanding of the material
presented therein. Each part also enables the reader to acquire confidence in his or her learning and use
of the information offered.
Part I, Plants/Crops Growth Responses to Environmental Factors and Climatic Changes, consists of
three chapters addressing these factors in detail. The seven chapters in Part II, Physiology of Plant/Crop
Growth and Developmental Stages, cover plant physiological stages from seed germination to plant
senescence and abscission. Part III, Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Plant/Crop Physiology, consists of
five chapters that present in-depth information on cellular and molecular aspects of plant/crop organs.
Part IV, Plant/Crop Physiology and Physiological Aspects of Plant/Crop Production Processes, contains
eight chapters that link plant/crop physiology to production of food, feed, and medicinal compounds and
discuss this relationship in detail. The four chapters in Part V, Plant Growth Regulators: The Natural Hor-
mones (Growth Promoters and Inhibitors) and Plant Genes, address growth promoters, and growth in-
hibitor hormones as well as plant genes.
Since plants and crops, like other living things, at one time or another during their life cycle en-
counter biotic or abiotic stressful conditions, two parts [VI, Physiological Responses of Plants/Crops Un-
der Stressful (Salt, Drought, and Other Environmental Stresses) Conditions and VII, Physiological Re-
sponses of Plants/Crops to Heavy Metal Concentration and Agrichemicals] are devoted to the
physiological responses of plants and crops to stress. Several examples of empirical investigations of spe-
cific plants and crops grown under stressful conditions are presented.
The single—but thorough—chapter in Part VIII, Physiological Relationships Between Lower and
Higher Plants, presents detailed information on this relationship.
The physiology of plant genetics is presented in two parts. Physiology of Lower-Plant Genetics and
Development, Part IX, consists of one chapter that discusses developmental genetics in lower plants. Part
X, Physiology of Higher-Plant/Crop Genetics and Development, contains four chapters that comprehen-
sively review this subject. Part XI, Using Computer Modeling in Plant Physiology, consists of one chap-
ter on computer simulation of plant and Crop allocation processes.
Finally, to extend the subject of plant/crop physiology beyond the earth, I included Part XII,
Plant/Crop Physiology under Controlled Conditions, in Space, and on Other Planets. Its two chapters pre-
sent the most recent available information on plant/crop physiology in controlled environment and per-
spectives for human life support on other planets.
Numerous figures, tables, and illustrations are included in this technical guide to facilitate compre-
hension of the presented materials. The index words further increase accessibility to the information.
It is hoped that an individual with a problem in the area of plant/crop physiology will turn to this prac-
tical and professional reference book and be able to promptly acquire the necessary assistance to solve
that problem.
Like other fields, the area of plant/crop physiology has been growing so rapidly that all plant/crop
physiologists are faced with the problem of constantly updating their knowledge. To grow with their pro-
fession, they will need to extend their interests and skills. In this regard, even a casual reading of the ma-
terial in this handbook will help them to move ahead in the right direction.
Mohammad Pessaraklivi PREFACE