Abiotic Stresses and Crop Productivity

Contents: Preface. 1. Evaluation of potential physiological traits for improving productivity under dryland conditions/S.R. Maloo and R.V. Paliwal. 2. Suitability of saline water for irrigation/L.L. Somani, K.L. Totawat, K.C. Laddha and R.C. Tiwari. 3. Strategies of crop improvement for drought tolerance/R.L. Ravikumar and B.S. Patil. 4. Recombinant DNA technology in crop breeding/S.K. Mishra, S.R. Maloo and Sheena Lukose. 5. Management of salt affected soils through cultural manipulation/B.R. Chhipa. 6. Crop ideotype breeding/G.S. Sharma, S.R. Maloo, P.K. Roy and S.K. Tiwari. 7. Antitranspirants in agriculture, horticulture and forestry/V.K. Mishra and R.A. Sharma. 8. Silvopasture management under stress environments/N.K. Sharma. 9. Abiotic stresses and fruit culture/L.K. Dashora, B.S. Chundawat and N.L. Sen. 10. Managing soil physical conditions for sustained production/R.P. Agrawal. 11. Conservation and management of water for dryland areas/Arun Sharma and Raj Vir Singh. 12. Specific ions in irrigation water and their effects on soil properties and crop production/I.K. Girdhar. 13. Biochemical and molecular basis of abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants/V. Sharma and N. Sharma. 14. Breeding pulses and oilseeds in arid areas/A. Henry. 15. Statistical considerations in planning of research for stress environments: an overview/P.K. Dashora. 16. Technological and socio-economic changes in dryfarming regions—a case study/C.A. Rama Rao, Shaik Haffis, J.C. Katyal and Y.V.R. Reddy. 17. Study on urban poverty and agricultural development in India/Sunanda Devpura. Subject index.

"This book presents the information on some of the important hostile factors like stresses on moisture, salinity, temperature and their efficient management. Chapters on important aspects like management of salt-affected soils through cultural manipulations, soil physical conditions and their management, and suitability of saline water for irrigation. It includes an interesting chapter on optimal utilization of available water resources and their conservation for drylands. It also deals with the role of antitranspirants in agriculture, horticulture, silvopasture and forestry. Further, essential agro-techniques for successful fruit culture under stress conditions are critically discussed.

Taking into account the latest advances in science, the book covers much needed information for students and researchers on recombinant DNA technology, transgenic approach, biochemical and molecular basis for developing stress tolerant plants. The book devotes considerable attention to the discussion of crop ideotype breeding, development of molecular markers and marker assisted selection under stress situations. Besides, the utility of different screening methods, experimental designs and field plot techniques useful for selection of tolerant genotypes are also highlighted." (jacket)