Download or read book Natural Growth Inhibitors and Phytohormones in Plants and Environment written by V. Kefeli and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book represents the authors' lifetime dedication to the study of inhibitors and phytohormones as well as its practical applications for achieving a more sustainable agriculture. Their work focuses on the functions of various groups of active molecules, their direct effect upon plant growth, but also implications for their impact upon the surrounding environment are explored. The main idea of the book evolved from the need to determine a balance among natural growth inhibitors and phytohormones. This approach was pursued through a better understanding of their biochemical pathways, their effects on plants physiological functions, and their influence upon stress factors on plant ontogenesis. Therefore, this effort proposes a more holistic approach to the study of plant physiology, in which the plant-soil interactions are discussed, with a profound description of different allelochemicals and their effects on plants growth. A rigorous attention is also paid to discuss the role of microorganisms in ecosystems and their capability to synthesize physiologically active substances, which trigger also unique plant-microbial interactions. These synergies are leading scientists to the discovery of major breakthroughs in agriculture and pharmacology that are revolutionizing old epistemologies and thus, contributing to the emergence of a philosophy of interconnectedness for the whole biosphere.
Download or read book Natural Plant Growth Inhibitors and Phytohormones written by V. Kefeli and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1978-04-30 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General information on phytohormones and natural growth inhibitors; Principles of analysis of phytohormones and natural growth inhibitors; Biosynthesis of phytohormones and natural growth inhibitors; Functions of phytohormones and natural growth inhibitors; Regulatory functions of natural growth inhibitors and dormancy period; Characteristics of inhibitory effect of natural growth inhibitors; General problems of plant growth regulation.
Download or read book Plant Growth and Development written by Lalit M. Srivastava and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2002-08-27 with total page 795 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides current information on synthesis of plant hormones, how their concentrations are regulated, and how they modulate various plant processes. It details how plants sense and tolerate such factors as drought, salinity, and cold temperature, factors that limit plant productivity on earth. It also explains how plants sense two other environmental signals, light and gravity, and modify their developmental patterns in response to those signals. This book takes the reader from basic concepts to the most up-to-date thinking on these topics. * Provides clear synthesis and review of hormonal and environmental regulation of plant growth and development * Contains more than 600 illustrations supplementary information on techniques and/or related topics of interest * Single-authored text provides uniformity of presentation and integration of the subject matter * References listed alphabetically in each section
Download or read book Phytochemicals Plant Growth and the Environment written by David R Gang and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the second volume since the reintroduction of the Recent Advances in Phytochemistry (RAP) series, an annual journal supported by the Phytochemical Society of North America. Topics appropriate for RAP include the biosynthesis of natural products and regulation of metabolism, the ecology of specialized metabolites and the evolution of their pathways, and the effects of natural products or plants on human health. Research appropriate for RAP involves genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, natural product structural determination and new technology development, medicinal chemistry and metabolic engineering, or any of the myriad of fields that are now closely associated with what may be called “traditional phytochemistry” and plant biochemistry. The advent of post-genomics-based ways of thinking, of systems biology, of synthetic biology, of comparative genomics/ proteomics/ transcriptomics/ metabolomics and especially of the introduction and establishment of a mentality that leads to support of large collaborative projects, has opened up many new doors to scientists interested and versed in the (bio)chemistry of plants. The goal of RAP is to highlight these developments. Two main types of articles are printed in RAP: Perspectives and Communications. Perspectives in RAP are expected to synthesize results from the primary literature and perhaps from new/novel results and place these in perspective relative to the broader field. These articles may be similar to review articles, but also are intended to present important ideas and hypotheses, and may present proposals for interesting directions in the field. It is the hope of the Editorial Board that these articles will be of great value to a large audience. Communications are intended to represent new advances in the field that will be of interest to a large audience. Articles of both types are typically solicited from the Society membership based on the content of the annual meeting talks, but in keeping with the title “Recent Advances in Phytochemistry” the editorial board reserves the right to solicit additional Perspectives and/or Communications from non-attendees as well (e.g., where an editorial board member has knowledge of an interesting recent advancement that would be of general interest to the society membership). All submissions to RAP go through a rigorous peer review process, overseen by the Editorial Board, which includes external review. RAP is indexed with Springer published journals. All RAP papers are available not only in the published volume form, but also electronically through Springer’s online literature services. This marks a significant change from past volumes of RAP and it is the hope of the Editorial Board that this will lead to broader dissemination of the contents of and greater interest in RAP. This 42nd volume of RAP includes a total of seven articles, many, but not all, based on talks presented at the 50th annual meeting of the PSNA. As was seen in RAP volume 41, These seven Perspectives give a very good picture of the breadth of plant (bio)chemistry research in North America, which is also indicative of the state of the field worldwide. Each of these articles describes the integration of several different approaches to ask and then answer interesting questions regarding the function of interesting plant metabolites, either in the plant itself or in interactions with the environment (natural setting or human health application). Many of these Perspectives have a strong ecological focus. McCormick et al. review the discovery of the biosynthetic pathway leading to production of trichothecene mycotoxins such as the T-2 toxin in plant pathogenic and other fungi. These compounds play very important roles in plant-pathogen interaction, and are very significant from a human health perspective. In a complementary paper, Duringer et al. describe recent technological advances in monitoring mycotoxins such as ergovaline and lysergic acid in forage crops, using state of the art and highly sensitive mass spectrometric means. Gross reviews the current understanding of how infochemicals mediate interactions between plants and insects, and highlights how such knowledge can be used to mitigate crop losses by pests. Two Perspectives discuss how recent technological advances are making an impact on our understanding of the role of plant hormones in plant growth and development. Gouthu et al. outline highly sensitive methods for measurement of plant hormones in tissues such as developing grape berry. In contrast, McDowell and Gang outline how new transcriptional profiling techniques are shedding light on old questions, such as how rhizome development is regulated by different plant growth regulators. The last two Perspectives outline the role of biotechnology in modern plant biochemistry research. Makhzoum et al. review the long history of use of hairy roots and provide perspective on future utility of this tissue type in continuing to uncover mechanisms of plant natural product biosynthesis, among other apolications. Dalton et al. outline, on the other hand, recent efforts to produce non-native polymers of human interest in plants and outline many of the challenges associated with such investigations. We hope that you will find these Perspectives to be interesting, informative, and timely. It is our goal that RAP will act not only as the voice of the PSNA, but that it will serve as an authoritative, up-to-date resource that helps to set the gold standard for thought and research in fields related to plant biochemistry.
Download or read book Plant Hormones and Climate Change written by Golam Jalal Ahammed and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides new insights into the mechanisms of plant hormone-mediated growth regulation and stress tolerance covering the most recent biochemical, physiological, genetic, and molecular studies. It also highlights the potential implications of plant hormones in ensuring food security in the face of climate change. Each chapter covers particular abiotic stress (heat stress, cold, drought, flooding, soil acidity, ozone, heavy metals, elevated CO2, acid rain, and photooxidative stress) and the versatile role of plant hormones in stress perception, signal transduction, and subsequent stress tolerance in the context of climate change. Some chapters also discuss hormonal crosstalk or interaction in plant stress adaptation and highlight convergence points of crosstalk between plant hormones and environmental signals such as light, which are considered recent breakthrough studies in plant hormone research. As exogenous application or genetic manipulation of hormones can alter crop yield under favorable and/or unfavorable environmental conditions, the utilization of plant hormones in modern agriculture is of great significance in the context of global climate change. Thus, it is important to further explore how hormone manipulation can secure a good harvest under challenging environmental conditions. This volume is dedicated to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 and 13. The volume is suitable for plant science-related courses, such as plant stress physiology, plant growth regulators, and physiology and biochemistry of phytohormones for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students at colleges and universities. The book can be a useful reference for academicians and scientists involved in research related to plant hormones and stress tolerance.
Download or read book Auxins and Plant Growth written by Aldo Carl Leopold and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1955 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fundamentals of auxins action: Develepment of knowledge of auxins; Auxins extration and measurement techniques; The occurrence and role of growth hormones in plants; Developmentaleffects of auxins; Physiological and anatomical effects of auxin applications; Factors altering effectiveness of auxin apllication; The chemical nature of growth regulators; Theories of the mechanism of auxin action; Auxins of agriculture: Methods of applying auxins ant their persistence in plants and soil; Rooting; Parthenocarpy; Flower and fruits thinning; Control of preharvest fruit drop; Flowering; Dormancy and storage; Herbicides; Miscellaneous uses of auxins; Potential of auxins and auxin research.
Download or read book The Role of Growth Regulators and Phytohormones in Overcoming Environmental Stress written by Anket Sharma and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2023-05-03 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Role of Growth Regulators and Phytohormones in Overcoming Environmental Stress is a comprehensive resource on all major PGRs. These include auxins, cytokinins, jasmonates, polyammines, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and more. In the last two decades, researchers have explored a lot about the roles of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in boosting the resistance of plants under stress conditions. These PGRs acts as stimulators for various physiological processes by regulating key cell signaling pathways. This title is an essential read for any scientist wanting to understand the latest advances in combatting abiotic stresses using plant growth regulators.In the present era, plants are facing a lot of challenges during their lifecycle, including growth declines due to abiotic stress. The main abiotic stresses threatening plants are water scarcity, salinity, extreme temperatures, heavy metals and pesticides. These stresses directly or indirectly cause toxicity to plants, causing hindrance to their growth and development, and ultimately reduce plant productivity. Provides the latest research on all major Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) Focuses on the mechanistic approaches of the physiological and molecular actions of PGRs Highlights crosstalk between PGRs and phytohormones
Download or read book Hormonal Regulation of Development I written by J. MacMillan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first of the set of three volumes in the Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, that will cover the area of the hormonal regulation of plant growth and development. The overall plan for the set assumes that this area of plant physiology is sufficiently mature for a review of current knowledge to be organized in terms of unifying principles and processes. Reviews in the past have generally treated each class of hormone individually, but this set of volumes is subdivided according to the properties common to all classes. Such an organization permits the examination of the hypothesis that differing classes of hormones, acting according to common principles, are determinants of processes and phases in plant development. Also in keeping with this theme, a plant hormone is defined as a compound with the properties held in common by the native members of the recognized classes of hormone. Current knowledge of the hormonal regulation of plant development is grouped so that the three volumes consider advancing levels of organizational complexity, viz: molecular and subcellular; cells, tissues, organs, and the plant as an organized whole; and the plant in relation to its environment. The present volume treats the molecular and subcellular aspects of hormones and the processes they regulate. Although it deals with chemically distinct classes of hormone, this volume stresses properties and modes of studying them, that are common to all classes.
Download or read book Plant Growth Regulators written by Tariq Aftab and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-03-25 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agriculture faces many challenges to fulfil the growing demand for sustainable food production and ensure high-quality nutrition for a rapidly growing population. To guarantee adequate food production, it is necessary to increase the yield per area of arable land. A method for achieving this goal has been the application of growth regulators to modulate plant growth. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are substances in specific formulations which, when applied to plants or seeds, have the capacity to promote, inhibit, or modify physiological traits, development and/or stress responses. They maintain proper balance between source and sink for enhancing crop yield. PGRs are used to maximize productivity and quality, improve consistency in production, and overcome genetic and abiotic limitations to plant productivity. Suitable PGRs include hormones such as cytokinins and auxins, and hormone-like compounds such as mepiquat chloride and paclobutrazol. The use of PGRs in mainstream agriculture has steadily increased within the last 20 years as their benefits have become better understood by growers. Unfortunately, the growth of the PGR market may be constrained by a lack of innovation at a time when an increase in demand for new products will require steady innovation and discovery of novel, cost-competitive, specific, and effective PGRs. A plant bio-stimulant is any substance or microorganism applied to plants with the aim to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrients content. Apart from traditional PGRs, which are mostly plant hormones, there are a number of substances/molecules such as nitric oxide, methyl jasmonate, brassinosteroids, seaweed extracts, strigolactones, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria etc. which act as PGRs. These novel PGRs or bio-stimulants have been reported to play important roles in stress responses and adaptation. They can protect plants against various stresses, including water deficit, chilling and high temperatures, salinity and flooding. This book includes chapters ranging from sensing and signalling in plants to translational research. In addition, the cross-talk operative in plants in response to varied signals of biotic and abiotic nature is also presented. Ultimately the objective of this book is to present the current scenario and the future plan of action for the management of stresses through traditional as well as novel PGRs. We believe that this book will initiate and introduce readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends in this field of study.
Download or read book Hormonal Regulation of Development III written by Richard P. Pharis and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 909 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: R. P. PHARIS and D. M. REID The idea of a separate Encydopedia volume dealing with the "interrelations of plant hormones with factors in the environment of the plant, and its organs and tissues" originated with N. P. KEFFORD, and we are most appreciative of the help and advice provided by Prof. KEFFORD in the formative stages of this volume. We have thus interpreted "environment" very broadly to indude not only factors external to the plant, e. g. , gravity, light, temperature, wind, mechanieal wounding, water, organism s (induding pollen), and magnetic and electric stimuli, but internaI factors as well (e. g. , nutrients, both inorganic and photoassimilate, direction, and time). In our definition of "hormonaI effect", or "hormonaI involvement", we have asked our authors to take a broad ap proach, and to examine not only phenomena that are mediated by the known plant hormones, but to discuss as well a wide variety of processes and events where hormonal involvement is implied through more indirect analyses and observations. The volume begins with environmental factors internaI to the plant; R. J. WEAVER and J. O. JOHNSON thus examine "hormones and nutrients", their inter relationship in movement, accumulation, and diversion. As one studies a plant during its rapid growth phase, and later as maturation and aging proceed, it becomes apparent that time is an environmental cue of great significance, one which may exert a major influence via hormonal messages.
Download or read book Plant Performance Under Environmental Stress written by Azamal Husen and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-08-23 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global climate change is bound to create a number of abiotic and biotic stresses in the environment, which would affect the overall growth and productivity of plants. Like other living beings, plants have the ability to protect themselves by evolving various mechanisms against stresses, despite being sessile in nature. They manage to withstand extremes of temperature, drought, flooding, salinity, heavy metals, atmospheric pollution, toxic chemicals and a variety of living organisms, especially viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects and arachnids and weeds. Incidence of abiotic stresses may alter the plant-pest interactions by enhancing susceptibility of plants to pathogenic organisms. These interactions often change plant response to abiotic stresses. Plant growth regulators modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and regulate their growth and developmental cascades. A number of physiological and molecular processes that act together in a complex regulatory network, further manage these responses. Crosstalk between autophagy and hormones also occurs to develop tolerance in plants towards multiple abiotic stresses. Similarly, biostimulants, in combination with correct agronomic practices, have shown beneficial effects on plant metabolism due to the hormonal activity that stimulates different metabolic pathways. At the same time, they reduce the use of agrochemicals and impart tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Further, the use of bio- and nano-fertilizers seem to hold promise to improve the nutrient use efficiency and hence the plant yield under stressful environments. It has also been shown that the seed priming agents impart stress tolerance. Additionally, tolerance or resistance to stress may also be induced by using specific chemical compounds such as polyamines, proline, glycine betaine, hydrogen sulfide, silicon, β-aminobutyric acid, γ-aminobutyric acid and so on. This book discusses the advances in plant performance under stressful conditions. It should be very useful to graduate students, researchers, and scientists in the fields of botanical science, crop science, agriculture, horticulture, ecological and environmental science.
Download or read book Hormone Metabolism and Signaling in Plants written by Jiayang Li and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-04-19 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant Hormones: Biosynthesis and Mechanisms of Action is based on research funded by the Chinese government’s National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). This book brings a fresh understanding of hormone biology, particularly molecular mechanisms driving plant hormone actions. With growing understanding of hormone biology comes new outlooks on how mankind values and utilizes the built-in potential of plants for improvement of crops in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. This book is a comprehensive description of all major plant hormones: how they are synthesized and catabolized; how they are perceived by plant cells; how they trigger signal transduction; how they regulate gene expression; how they regulate plant growth, development and defense responses; and how we measure plant hormones. This is an exciting time for researchers interested in plant hormones. Plants rely on a diverse set of small molecule hormones to regulate every aspect of their biological processes including development, growth, and adaptation. Since the discovery of the first plant hormone auxin, hormones have always been the frontiers of plant biology. Although the physiological functions of most plant hormones have been studied for decades, the last 15 to 20 years have seen a dramatic progress in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of hormone actions. The publication of the whole genome sequences of the model systems of Arabidopsis and rice, together with the advent of multidisciplinary approaches has opened the door to successful experimentation on plant hormone actions. Offers a comprehensive description of all major plant hormones including the recently discovered strigolactones and several peptide hormones Contains a chapter describing how plant hormones regulate stem cells Offers a fresh understanding of hormone biology, particularly molecular mechanisms driving plant hormone actions Discusses the built-in potential of plants for improvement of crops in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner
Download or read book Photosynthesis Productivity and Environmental Stress written by Parvaiz Ahmad and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-09-16 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to environmental fluctuations that examines photosynthesis under both controlled and stressed conditions Photosynthesis, Productivity and Environmental Stress is a much-needed guide that explores the topics related to photosynthesis (both terrestrial and aquatic) and puts the focus on the basic effect of environmental fluctuations. The authors—noted experts on the topic—discuss photosynthesis under both controlled and stressed conditions and review new techniques for mitigating stressors including methods such as transgeneics, proteomics, genomics, ionomics, metabolomics, micromics, and more. In order to feed our burgeoning world population, it is vital that we must increase food production. Photosynthesis is directly related to plant growth and crop production and any fluctuation in the photosynthetic activity imposes great threat to crop productivity. Due to the environmental fluctuations plants are often exposed to the different environmental stresses that cause decreased photosynthetic rate and problems in the plant growth and development. This important book addresses this topic and: Covers topics related to terrestrial and aquatic photosynthesis Highlights the basic effect of environmental fluctuations Explores common stressors such as drought, salinity, alkalinity, temperature, UV-radiations, oxygen deficiency, and more Contains methods and techniques for improving photosynthetic efficiency for greater crop yield Written for biologists and environmentalists, Photosynthesis, Productivity and Environmental Stress offers an overview of the stressors affecting photosynthesis and includes possible solutions for improved crop production.
Download or read book Salinity and Water Stress written by M. Ashraf and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-12-26 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Salinity and water stress limit crop productivity worldwide and generate substantial economic losses each year, yet innovative research on crop and natural resource management can reveal cost-effective ways in which farmers can increase both their productivity and their income. Presenting recent research findings on salt stress, water stress and stress-adapted plants, this book offers insights into new strategies for increasing the efficiency of crops under stressful environments. The strategies are based on conventional breeding and advanced molecular techniques used by plant physiologists, and are discussed using specific case studies to illustrate their potential. The book emphasizes the effects of environmental factors on specific stages of plant development, and discusses the role of plant growth regulators, nutrients, osmoprotectants and antioxidants in counteracting their adverse affects. Synthesising updated information on mechansisms of stress tolerance at cell, tissue and whole-plant level, this book provides a useful reference text for post graduate students and researchers involved in the fields of stress physiology and plant physiology in general, with additional readership amongst researchers in horticulture, agronomy, crop science, conservation, environmental management and ecological restoration.
Download or read book Plant Growth Regulators for Climate Smart Agriculture written by Shah Fahad and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-07-27 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climatic conditions are key determinants of plant growth, whether at the scale of temperature regulation of the cell cycle or at the scale of the geographic limits for a particular species. The climate is changing due to human activities – particularly the emission of greenhouse gases – therefore the conditions for the establishment, growth, reproduction, survival, and distribution of plant species are changing. In contrast to animals, plants are able to cease and resume growth. This flexibility in their architecture and growth pattern is partly achieved by the action of plant hormones. Still, the role of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in agriculture is modest compared to other agrochemicals, such as fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides. Plant Growth Regulators for Climate-Smart Agriculture is an invaluable guide to the varied roles filled by PGRs in the attainment of higher-quality, better-yielding crops. Salient Features (minimum 5): Explores plant growth regulators and anthropogenic climate change. Provides new insights related to hormonal cross-talk in plant development and stress responses. Sheds new light on the role of PGRs in agriculture in the attainment of higher-quality, better-yielding crops. Delivers valuable information on physiological and molecular mechanisms linked to the role of plant growth regulators in stress tolerance. Provides valuable knowledge for students of agronomy, plant physiology, molecular biology, and environmental sciences.
Download or read book Protective Chemical Agents in the Amelioration of Plant Abiotic Stress written by Aryadeep Roychoudhury and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-05-20 with total page 704 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to the chemical agents that protect plants from various environmental stressors Protective Chemical Agents in the Amelioration of Plant Abiotic Stress offers a guide to the diverse chemical agents that have the potential to mitigate different forms of abiotic stresses in plants. Edited by two experts on the topic, the book explores the role of novel chemicals and shows how using such unique chemical agents can tackle the oxidative damages caused by environmental stresses. Exogenous application of different chemical agents or chemical priming of seeds presents opportunities for crop stress management. The use of chemical compounds as protective agents has been found to improve plant tolerance significantly in various crop and non-crop species against a range of different individually applied abiotic stresses by regulating the endogenous levels of the protective agents within plants. This important book: Explores the efficacy of various chemical agents to eliminate abiotic stress Offers a groundbreaking look at the topic and reviews the most recent advances in the field Includes information from noted authorities on the subject Promises to benefit agriculture under stress conditions at the ground level Written for researchers, academicians, and scientists, Protective Chemical Agents in the Amelioration of Plant Abiotic Stress details the wide range of protective chemical agents, their applications, and their intricate biochemical and molecular mechanism of action within the plant systems during adverse situations.
Download or read book Plant Hormones written by P.J. Davies and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-12-01 with total page 843 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant hormones play a crucial role in controlling the way in which plants growand develop. Whilemetabolism providesthepowerand buildingblocks for plant life, it is the hormones that regulate the speed of growth of the individual parts and integrate these parts to produce the form that we recognize as a plant. In addition, theyplayacontrolling role inthe processes of reproduction. This book is a description ofthese natural chemicals: how they are synthesizedand metabolized; howthey work; whatwe knowoftheir molecular biology; how we measure them; and a description ofsome ofthe roles they play in regulating plant growth and development. Emphasis has also been placed on the new findings on plant hormones deriving from the expanding use ofmolecular biology as a tool to understand these fascinating regulatory molecules. Even at the present time, when the role of genes in regulating all aspects of growth and development is considered of prime importance, it is still clear that the path of development is nonetheless very much under hormonal control, either via changes in hormone levels in response to changes in gene transcription, or with the hormones themselves as regulators ofgene transcription. This is not a conference proceedings, but a selected collection ofnewly written, integrated, illustrated reviews describing our knowledge of plant hormones, and the experimental work that is the foundation of this knowledge.
