This detailed volume provides diverse elegant methods, complemented with existing protocols, which are optimized for the current needs in plant root biology as well as for use in plant species other than Arabidopsis thaliana. The collection covers methods ranging from genetic screens, phenotypic analysis, and cell biology methods to systems biology tools and genome-wide approaches. The collection contains a range of complexity from fundamental methods for quantification of different root developmental processes to complex methods that require sophisticated equipment. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Root Development: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable tool for plant biologists specialized in root development, from beginners to experienced researchers in the field.

First published in 1987 this book looks at root development and functions. Besides affecting the development of roots directly, the physical environment also influences the organisms associated with roots and thus affects their function. The papers presented in this volume pay equal attention to root development and root function in relation to the whole range of environmental factors including temperature, light, water, aeration, gravity and the mechanical strength of the soil. Consideration is also given to the effects of some of these factors on mycorrhizae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The final chapter reviews some of the main themes raised in the volume and indicates the way that research at the cellular and tissue levels may progress in the future.

Root Development is an extremely exciting new title in Blackwell Publishing's Annual Plant Reviews Series (Series Editor Profesor Jeremy Roberts). The book consists of contributions from author groups based at many of the World's formeost laboratories working in the root development area. The book's editor Tom Beeckman, himself very well known and respected for his work in this area, has drawn together an exceptional set of core cutting edge reviews of the subject, providing a state of the art reference tool for all those researching in this area.