Respiration is a large and important component of the carbon economy of crops. There are already several good books dealing with the biochemistry and physiol ogy of plant respiration, but there are none I know of that are devoted to the rela tionship between respiration and crop productivity, although this relationship is more and more frequently being studied with both experiment and simulation. Crop physiology books do cover respiration, of course, but the treatment is limited. The purpose of the present book is to fill this void in the literature. The approach taken here is to use the popular two-component functional model whereby respiration is divided between growth and maintenance components. Mter thoroughly reviewing the literature, I came to the conclusion that at present this is the most useful means of considering respiration as a quantitative compo nent of a crop's carbon economy. This functional distinction is used as the frame work for describing respiration and assessing its role in crop productivity. Discussions and critiques of the biochemistry and physiology of respiration serve primarily as a means of more fully understanding and describing the functional approach to studying crop respiration. It is assumed that the reader of this book is familiar with the fundamentals of plant physiology and biochemistry. The research worker in crop physiology should find this an up-to-date summary of crop respiration and the functional model of respiration. This book is not, however, a simple review of existing data.

The global environment is constantly changing and our planet is getting warmer at an unprecedented rate. The study of the carbon cycle, and soil respiration, is a very active area of research internationally because of its relationship to climate change. It is crucial for our understanding of ecosystem functions from plot levels to global scales. Although a great deal of literature on soil respiration has been accumulated in the past several years, the material has not yet been synthesized into one place until now. This book synthesizes the already published research findings and presents the fundamentals of this subject. Including information on global carbon cycling, climate changes, ecosystem productivity, crop production, and soil fertility, this book will be of interest to scientists, researchers, and students across many disciplines. - A key reference for the scientific community on global climate change, ecosystem studies, and soil ecology - Describes the myriad ways that soils respire and how this activity influences the environment - Covers a breadth of topics ranging from methodology to comparative analyses of different ecosystem types - The first existing "treatise" on the subject

Effect of High Temperature on Crop Productivity and Metabolism of Macro Molecules presents a comprehensive overview on the direct effect of temperatures defined as "high", a definition which increasingly includes a great number of geographic regions. As temperature impacts the number of base growth days, it is necessary to adapt plant selection, strategize planting times, and understand the expected impact of adaptive steps to ensure maximum plant health and crop yield. Global warming, climate change and change in environmental conditions have become common phrases in nearly every scientific seminar, symposium and meeting, thus these changes in climatic patterns constrain normal growth and reproduction cycles. This book reviews the effect of high temperature on agricultural crop production and the effect of high temperature stress on the metabolic aspects of macro molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, secondary metabolites, and plant growth hormones. - Focuses on the effects of high temperature on agriculture and the metabolism of important macro-molecules - Discusses strategies for improving heat tolerance, thus educating plant and molecular breeders in their attempts to improve efficiencies and crop production - Provides information that can be applied today and in future research

Understanding Climate Change Impacts on Crop Productivity and Water examines the greenhouse gas emissions and their warming effect, climate change projections, crop productivity and water. The book explores the most important greenhouse gases that influence the climate system, technical terms associated with climate projections, and the different mechanisms impacting crop productivity and water balance. Adaptive and mitigative strategies are proposed to cope with negative effects of climate change in particular domains. This book will help researchers interested in climate change impacts on the atmosphere, soil and plants. - Uncovers links between climate change and its impact on crop and water outputs - Integrates information on greenhouse gas cycles and mathematical equations into climate/crop models for analysis and seasonal prediction systems - Provides strategies for efficient resource management and sustainable crop production in future - Helps researchers interested in climate change impacts on the atmosphere, soil and plants

Respiration in plants, as in all living organisms, is essential to provide metabolic energy and carbon skeletons for growth and maintenance. As such, respiration is an essential component of a plant’s carbon budget. Depending on species and environmental conditions, it consumes 25-75% of all the carbohydrates produced in photosynthesis – even more at extremely slow growth rates. Respiration in plants can also proceed in a manner that produces neither metabolic energy nor carbon skeletons, but heat. This type of respiration involves the cyanide-resistant, alternative oxidase; it is unique to plants, and resides in the mitochondria. The activity of this alternative pathway can be measured based on a difference in fractionation of oxygen isotopes between the cytochrome and the alternative oxidase. Heat production is important in some flowers to attract pollinators; however, the alternative oxidase also plays a major role in leaves and roots of most plants. A common thread throughout this volume is to link respiration, including alternative oxidase activity, to plant functioning in different environments.

Respiration is a large and important component of the carbon economy of crops. There are already several good books dealing with the biochemistry and physiol ogy of plant respiration, but there are none I know of that are devoted to the rela tionship between respiration and crop productivity, although this relationship is more and more frequently being studied with both experiment and simulation. Crop physiology books do cover respiration, of course, but the treatment is limited. The purpose of the present book is to fill this void in the literature. The approach taken here is to use the popular two-component functional model whereby respiration is divided between growth and maintenance components. Mter thoroughly reviewing the literature, I came to the conclusion that at present this is the most useful means of considering respiration as a quantitative compo nent of a crop's carbon economy. This functional distinction is used as the frame work for describing respiration and assessing its role in crop productivity. Discussions and critiques of the biochemistry and physiology of respiration serve primarily as a means of more fully understanding and describing the functional approach to studying crop respiration. It is assumed that the reader of this book is familiar with the fundamentals of plant physiology and biochemistry. The research worker in crop physiology should find this an up-to-date summary of crop respiration and the functional model of respiration. This book is not, however, a simple review of existing data.

Rapid developments in molecular and systems biology techniques have allowed researchers to unravel many new mechanisms through which plant cells switch over to alternative respiratory pathways. This book is a unique compendium of how and why higher plants evolved alternative respiratory metabolism. It offers a comprehensive review of current research in the biochemistry, physiology, classification and regulation of plant alternative respiratory pathways, from alternative oxidase diversity to functional marker development. The resource provides a broad range of perspectives on the applications of plant respiratory physiology, and suggests brand new areas of research. Other key features: written by an international team of reputed plant physiologists, known for their pioneering contributions to the knowledge of regular and alternative respiratory metabolism in higher plants includes step-by-step protocols for key molecular and imaging techniques advises on regulatory options for managing crop yields, food quality and environment for crop improvement and enhanced food security covers special pathways which are of key relevance in agriculture, particularly in plant post-harvest commodities Primarily for plant physiologists and plant biologists, this authoritative compendium will also be of great value to postdoctoral researchers working on plant respiration, as well as to graduate and postgraduate students and university staff in Plant Science. It is a useful resource for corporate and private firms involved in developing functional markers for breeding programs and controlling respiration for the prevention of post-harvest losses in fruit, vegetables, cut flowers and tubers.