Physiology of Crop Plants

Contents: 1. Photosynthesis.  2. Carbon Fixation by Crop Canopies. 3. Transport and Partitioning. 4. Water Relation. 5. Mineral Nutrition. 6. Biological Nitrogen Fixation. 7. Plant Growth Regulation. 8. Growth and Development. 9. Seeds and Germination. 10. Root Growth. 11. Vegetative Growth. 12. Flowering and Fruiting. 13. Index.

"This second edition of a textbook focused on crop physiology reflects the many changes and expanded efforts occurring since.

The unique contribution of agronomy as a discipline, represented by the subdivisions crops, soils, and climatology, is the integration of biological, chemical, and physical phenomena into useful crop management systems. With the basic biological scientists continuing emphasis on molecular biology (the reductionist approach), it remains imperative for the agronomist and the crop physiologist to integrate information, synthesize new levels of knowledge, and develop systems for problem solving, all the while interfacing with biologists, chemists, physicists, and researchers in other basic areas of science.

Our treatment continues to break from the tradition of organization on a crop basis; the emphasis is on physiological concepts and the factors influencing metabolism, growth, and reproduction. While crop plant examples are a key part of the discussion, the first order of business is to identify the basic, principles that apply across species. As in the first edition, specialized terminology has been kept at a moderate level and illustrations have been used liberally in order to enhance readability and understanding for undergraduates in advanced crop science courses and to prove a text or reference for introductory graduate courses in crop physiology. Crop physiology peers have indicated the desirability of such a dual level approach."