Description
Book SynopsisIn the past twenty years there has been a revolution in plant sciences, as new methods of molecular biology and biophysics have been applied to investigate environmental stress, particularly desiccation tolerance. Today, there is a good level of understanding of how plant cells cope with extreme water stress. This book is divided into four sections, dealing with 1) the technical background to desiccation tolerance studies; 2) the frequency and levels of dehydration stress tolerance in biological systems; 3) mechanisms of damage and tolerance, and 4) a brief prospect and retrospect. It covers orthodox and recalcitrant seeds, pollen and spores, vegetative parts, and other plant tissues.
Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction 1: Drying without dying, P Alpert and M J Oliver Part II: Methodology 2: Methods for study of water relations under desiccation stress, W K Sun 3: Experimental aspects of drying and recovery, N W Pammenter, P Berjak, J Wesley-Smith and C Vander Willigen 4: Biochemical and biophysical methods for quantifying desiccation phenomena in seeds and vegetative tissues, O Leprince and E Golovina Part III: Biology of dehydration 5: Desiccation sensitivity in orthodox and recalcitrant seeds in relation to development, A Kermode and B E Finch-Savage 6: Pollen and spores: Desiccation tolerance in pollen and the spores of lower plants and fungi, F A Hoekstra 7: Vegetative tissues: Bryophytes, vascular resurrection plants and vegetative propagules, M C F Proctor and V C Pence 8: Ecological, taxonomic and phylogenetic aspects of desiccation tolerance in seeds and other plant tissues, J Dickie and H Pritchard Part IV: Mechanisms of damage and tolerance 9: Desiccation stress and damage, C Walters, J M Farrant, N W Pammenter and P Berjak 10: Biochemistry and biophysics of tolerance systems, J Buitink, F A Hoekstra and O Leprince 11: Molecular genetics of desiccation and tolerant systems, J Phillips, M J Oliver and D Bartels 12: Rehydration of dried systems: Membranes and the nuclear genome, D J Osborne, I Boubriak and O Leprince Part V: Retrospect and prospect 13: Damage and tolerance in retrospect and prospect, M Black, H Pritchard and R Obendorf
