The Handbook of Plant Ecophysiology Techniques you have now in your hands is the result of several combined events and efforts. The birth of this handbook can be traced as far as 1997, when our Plant Ecophysiology lab at the University of Vigo hosted a practical course on Plant Ecophysiology Techniques. That course showed us how much useful a handbook presenting a bunch of techniques would be for the scientists beginning to work on Plant Ecophysiology. In fact, we wrote a short handbook explaining the basics of the techniques taught in that 1997 course: Flow cytometry to measure ploidy levels, Use of a Steady-State porometer to measure transpiration, In vivo measure of fluorescence, HPLC analysis of low molecular weight phenolics, Spectrophotometric determinations of free proline and soluble proteins, TLC polyamines contents measures, Isoenzymatic electrophoresis, Use of IRGA and oxygen electrode. That modest handbook, written in Spanish, was very helpful, both for the people who attended the course and for other who have used it for beginning to work in Plant Ecophysiology. The present Handbook is much more ambitious, and it includes more techniques. But we have also had in mind the young scientists beginning to work on Plant Ecophysiology. In 1999 François Pellissier leaded a proposal presented to the European Commission in the Fifth Framework Program in the High Level * Scientific Conferences, including three EuroLab Courses about lab and field techniques useful to improve allelopathic research.

This handbook covers the most commonly used techniques for measuring plant response to biotic and abiotic stressing factors, including: in vitro and in vivo bioassays; the study of root morphology, photosynthesis (pigment content, net photosynthesis, respiration, fluorescence and thermoluminiscence) and water status; thermal imaging; the measurement of oxidative stress markers; flow cytometry for measuring cell cycle and other physiological parameters; the use of microscope techniques for studying plant microtubules; programmed-cell-death; last-generation techniques (metabolomics, proteomics, SAR/QSAR); hybridization methods; isotope techniques for plant and soil studies; and the measurement of detoxification pathways, volatiles, soil microorganisms, and computational biology.

This second edition provides authoritative guidance on research methodology for plant population ecology. Practical advice is provided to assist senior undergraduates and post-graduate students, and all researchers, design their own field and greenhouse experiments and establish a research programme in plant population ecology.

Techniques related to various physiological phenomenon are subject of tremendous interest and importance to plant physiologist, agronomist, horticulturist, ecologist, and biochemists. This book is intended to provide recognized methods related various plant processes in a comprehensive form. Techniques on crop physiology such as hydroponics and plant nutrition, test for various stresses, water potential and water flow in plants, canopy gas measurements (Photosynthesis, Respiration and Transpiration), basic equations for growth studies and methods for estimations of plant products, microclimate. Efforts were also made to incorporate the topic like Climate Change and theory of phytotron as well as rhizotron in this book. The book will make the reader familiar with latest procedure to elucidate the problems. The validity of the results based on fundamentals principles of physics. This book is meant to be used in conjunction with a standard text of plant physiology though elementary principles relating to the techniques are briefed. The subjects on hormones, tissue culture and seed technology are useful for students. Hope this book shall serve the need of students, teachers and researchers.