Digital color analysis has become an increasingly popular and cost-effective method utilized by resource managers and scientists for evaluating foliar nutrition and health in response to environmental stresses. We developed and tested a new method of digital image analysis that uses Scion Image or NIH image public domain software to quantify leaf color. This publication provides instructions for using this software to measure the percentage green and red in leaves, colors of particular importance for the assessment of plant health. Comparisons of results from digital analyses of 326 scanned images of leaves and concurrent spectrophotometric measures of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and anthocyanins verify that image analysis provides a reliable quantitative measure of leaf color and the relative concentrations of underlying plant pigments.

Plant organs are therefore discussed in the context of the evolution of development ("evo-devo"), and their basis in molecular developmental genetics is described.

The establishment of polarity is a fundamental feature in eukaryotic development. Polarity in Plants provides an account of current research into the mechanisms by which polarity is generated at the level of the cell, organ and organism in plants, drawing especially on recent work with model organisms. The emphasis is on the use of the techniques of molecular genetics to dissect molecular mechanisms. This is the first volume to bring together the diverse aspects of polarity in plant development.

Presents state-of-the-art research into leaf interactions with light, for scientists working in remote sensing, plant physiology, ecology and resource management.

The book takes a fresh, innovative look at the role of leaf development and canopy growth in the survival of the individual and the diversity of the community. It draws together significant advances in a diverse range of disciplines, answers some questions and, more importantly, stimulates the reader into new conceptual and experimental ways of approaching research. Emergent properties at the plant scale are the result of self–organisation of "local rules" applied within the cell and the couplings that exist between cells in the plant. In a similar way, emergent properties at the canopy scale depend on properties of the individual plants that are present. The whole is much more than the sum of the constituent parts. The focus in this volume is on the light–intercepting surfaces of the plant and the utilisation of the absorbed energy to fix carbon – the foundation of carbon–based life on earth. The authors consider a diverse range of species throughout, drawing on experience gained with both monocultures and mixed–plant communities. The volume is intended for researchers and professionals in plant physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology. It will also be of interest to crop physiologists.