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The present volume, Xylem Structure and the Ascent of Sap by M. H. Zimmermann, very appropriately inaugurates the Springer Series in Wood Science, an enterprise recently initiated in the belief that wood and related forest products at this time have attained a new importance as renewable resources available in vast quantities. The scope of the series is intended to be wide, and virtually all aspects of wood science and technology will be considered. Topics will include the structure of wood and bark and the chemistry of their various components, the physical and mechanical properties of wood, its formation and biodegradation, the processing of forest products, the utilization of the forest biomass, and the manufacture of pulp and paper. Some of the volumes in this series are intended to be textbooks, but most will be monographs concerned with a limited subject area that will be treated in depth. The majority will have only one author. The books will be written by recognized experts, and will reflect the most recent information available. It is my hope that they will serve the purpose of drawing attention to wood, one of the most remarkable and useful of all natural materials.

Water Relations of Plants and Soils, successor to the seminal 1983 book by Paul Kramer, covers the entire field of water relations using current concepts and consistent terminology. Emphasis is on the interdependence of processes, including rate of water absorption, rate of transpiration, resistance to water flow into roots, soil factors affecting water availability. New trends in the field, such as the consideration of roots (rather than leaves) as the primary sensors of water stress, are examined in detail. Addresses the role of water in the whole range of plant activities Describes molecular mechanisms of water action in the context of whole plants Synthesizes recent scientific findings Relates current concepts to agriculture and ecology Provides a summary of methods

Water Relations of Plants attempts to explain the importance of water through a description of the factors that control the plant water balance and how they affect the physiological processes that determine the quantity and quality of growth. Organized into 13 chapters, this book first discusses the functions and properties of water and the plant cell water relations. Subsequent chapters focus on measurement and control of soil water, as well as growth and functions of root. This book also looks into the water absorption, the ascent of sap, the transpiration, and the water stress and its effects on plant processes and growth. This book will be useful for students, teachers, and investigators in both basic and applied plant science, as well as for botanists, agronomists, foresters, horticulturists, soil scientists, and even laymen with an interest in plant water relations.