As plant physiology increased steadily in the latter half of the 19th century, problems of absorption and transport of water and of mineral nutrients and problems of the passage of metabolites from one cell to another were investigated, especially in Germany. JUSTUS VON LIEBIG, who was born in Darmstadt in 1803, founded agricultural chemistry and developed the techniques of mineral nutrition in agricul ture during the 70 years of his life. The discovery of plasmolysis by NAGEL! (1851), the investigation of permeability problems of artificial membranes by TRAUBE (1867) and the classical work on osmosis by PFEFFER (1877) laid the foundations for our understanding of soluble substances and osmosis in cell growth and cell mechanisms. Since living membranes were responsible for controlling both water movement and the substances in solution, "permeability" became a major topic for investigation and speculation. The problems then discussed under that heading included passive permeation by diffusion, Donnan equilibrium adjustments, active transport processes and antagonism between ions. In that era, when organelle isolation by differential centrifugation was unknown and the electron microscope had not been invented, the number of cell membranes, their thickness and their composition, were matters for conjecture. The nature of cell surface membranes was deduced with remarkable accuracy from the reactions of cells to substances in solution. In 1895, OVERTON, in U. S. A. , published the hypothesis that membranes were probably lipid in nature because of the greater penetration by substances with higher fat solubility.

Vascular Transport in Plants provides an up-to-date synthesis of new research on the biology of long distance transport processes in plants. It is a valuable resource and reference for researchers and graduate level students in physiology, molecular biology, physiology, ecology, ecological physiology, development, and all applied disciplines related to agriculture, horticulture, forestry and biotechnology. The book considers long-distance transport from the perspective of molecular level processes to whole plant function, allowing readers to integrate information relating to vascular transport across multiple scales. The book is unique in presenting xylem and phloem transport processes in plants together in a comparative style that emphasizes the important interactions between these two parallel transport systems. - Includes 105 exceptional figures - Discusses xylem and phloem transport in a single volume, highlighting their interactions - Syntheses of structure, function and biology of vascular transport by leading authorities - Poses unsolved questions and stimulates future research - Provides a new conceptual framework for vascular function in plants

Calcium Transport Elements in Plants discusses the role of calcium in plant development and stress signaling, the mechanism of Ca2+ homeostasis across plant membranes, and the evolution of Ca2+/cation antiporter (CaCA) superfamily proteins. Additional sections cover genome-wide analysis of Annexins and their roles in plants, the roles of calmodulin in abiotic stress responses, calcium transport in relation to plant nutrition/biofortification, and much more. Written by leading experts in the field, this title is an essential resource for students and researchers that need all of the information on calcium transport elements in one place. Calcium transport elements are involved in various structural, physiological and biochemical processes or signal transduction pathways in response to various abiotic and biotic stimuli. Development of high throughput sequencing technology has favored the identification and characterization of numerous gene families in plants in recent years, including the calcium transport elements. - Provides a complete compilation of detailed information on Ca2+ efflux and influx transporters in plants - Discusses the mode of action of calcium transport elements and their classification - Explores the indispensable role of Ca2+ in numerous developmental and stress related pathways

The study of solute transport in plants dates back to the beginnings of experimental plant physiology, but has its origins in the much earlier interests of humankind in agriculture. Given this lineage, it is not surprising that there have been many books on the transport of solutes in plants; texts on the closely related subject of mineral nutrition also commonly address the topic of ion transport. Why another book? Well, physiologists continue to make new discoveries. Particularly pertinent is the characterisation of enzymes that are able to transport protons across membranes during the hydrolysis of energy-rich bonds. These enzymes, which include the H + -A TPases, are now known to be crucial for solute transport in plants and we have given them due emphasis. From an academic point of view, the transport systems in plants are now appreciated as worthy of study in their own right-not just as an extension of those systems already much more widely investigated in animals. From a wider perspective, understanding solute transport in plants is fundamental to understanding plants and the extent to which they can be manipulated for agricultural purposes. As physiologists interested in the mechanisms of transport, we first set out in this book to examine the solutes in plants and where are they located. Our next consideration was to provide the tools by which solute movement can be understood: a vital part of this was to describe membranes and those enzymes catalysing transport.

In the first part (Part A) of this volume on transport, there was an emphasis on the processes occurring at the membranes bounding the cells. It was convenient to distinguish active and passive processes of transport across the membranes, and to recognize that certain transport processes may be regulated by internal factors in the cells such as cytoplasmic pH, concentrations of ions, of malate or of sugar in the vacuoles, or the hydrostatic pressure. Cells in tissues and organs show the same kinds of properties as individual cells, but in addition there can be cell to cell transport related to the organization of the tissue. Firstly cells within a tissue are separated from the external solutions by a diffusion path comprising parts of the cell walls and intercellular spaces; more generally this extra-cytoplasmic part of the tissue has been called the apoplasm. A similar term is "free space". Secondly, the anatomy of cells in tissues seems to allow some facilitated, local transport between cells in a symplasm. Entry into the symplast and subsequent transport in a symplasmic continuum seems to be privileged, in that ions may not have to mix with the bulk of the cytoplasm and can pass from cell to cell in particular cytoplasmic structures, plasmodesmata. In Chara plants, this kind of transport is found operating across the multi-cellular nodes as the main means of transport between the long internodal cells.

Cation Transporters in Plants presents expert information on the major cation transporters, along with developments of various new strategies to cope with the adverse effects of abiotic and biotic stresses. The book will serve as a very important repository for the scientist, researcher, academician and industrialist to enhance their knowledge about cation transport in plants. Further, applications listed in the book will facilitate future developments in crop designing strategies. This comprehensive resource provides an alternative strategy for abiotic and biotic stress management in agricultural and horticultural crops. In addition, it will further improve basic knowledge om the origin and mechanism of cation homeostasis and their role in developmental transition and stress regulation. - Contains in-depth knowledge about various cation transporters in plants - Provides information about important macro and micronutrient cation transporters and their applications in the agricultural and biotechnology sectors - Facilitates agricultural scientists and industries in future crop designing strategies - Provides an alternative strategy for abiotic and biotic stress management in agricultural and horticultural crops

Ten years ago, at the International Botanical Congress in Edinburgh, a group of us from various countries discussed the difficulty of pursuing academic problems in depth at such meetings. In particular, we were discouraged at the poverty of time for phloem transport. From long association, we were conscious of the extraordinary breadth of the problem, from developmental through anatomical, to biophysical and physiological. Only by a reasonable understanding of all these components could one hope to come to some kind of understanding. We decided to establish common plant material so that data would have a common source. Similarly, we resolved to exchange information by circulating pre-publication manuscripts. For awhile, after the meeting was a pleasant memory, the plan seemed to be working; but, as is so often the case, human infirmities and foibles played early and, subsequently, predominant roles. Some became administrators (a punishment for good behaviour); others concentrated on alternative rings in their academic circuses. The next Congress (in Seattle) proved similar to its predecessor in its neglect and, consequently, succor was sought elsewhere. A little known, but remarkably understanding group becoming visible was the Science Committee and the Division of Scientific Affairs of N. A. T. O. Its sponsorship of Advanced Study Institutes including phytochemistry and phytophysics, was unusual both in the generosity of its funding and in the requirements for academic quality.