This book addresses the importance woody plants have in agriculture, forestry, and the environment and how various stresses affect their performance. It reviews physiological and molecular responses of woody plants to major environmental stresses and focuses on the mechanisms involved in imparting resistance to stress. Chapters cover basics of plant physiology including plant structure and plant growth, photosynthesis, respiration, plant growth regulation, abiotic and biotic plant stresses including drought, water logging, nutrient deficiency, salinity, chilling, freezing, heat, oxidative stress, and heavy metal toxicity.

The prospect of future climate change has stimulated research into the physiological responses of plants to stress. Water is a key factor controlling the distribution and abundance of plants. This book brings together contributions from a range of experts who have worked on the cavitation of water in the transport system.