Physiological Responses Of Plants To Attack

Despite the research effort put into controlling pathogens, pestsand parasitic plants, crop losses are still a regular feature ofagriculture worldwide. This makes it important to manage the cropappropriately in order to maximise yield. Understanding therelationship between the occurrence and severity of attack, and theresulting yield loss, is an important step towards improved cropprotection. Linked to this, is the need to better understand themechanisms responsible for reductions in growth and yield inaffected crops. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is unique because itdeals with the effects of different attackers – pathogens,herbivores, and parasitic plants, on host processes involved ingrowth, reproduction, and yield. Coverage includes effects onphotosynthesis, partitioning of carbohydrates, water and nutrientrelations, and changes in plant growth hormones. Far from beingsimply a consequence of attack, the alterations in primarymetabolism reflect a more dynamic and complex interaction betweenplant and attacker, sometimes involving re-programming of plantmetabolism by the attacker. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is written anddesigned for use by senior undergraduates and postgraduatesstudying agricultural sciences, applied entomology, cropprotection, plant pathology and plant sciences. Biological andagricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and cropprotection industries, and in academia, will find much of use inthis book. All libraries in universities and researchestablishments where biological and agricultural sciences arestudied and taught should have copies of this exciting book ontheir shelves

Despite the research effort put into controlling pathogens, pestsand parasitic plants, crop losses are still a regular feature ofagriculture worldwide. This makes it important to manage the cropappropriately in order to maximise yield. Understanding therelationship between the occurrence and severity of attack, and theresulting yield loss, is an important step towards improved cropprotection. Linked to this, is the need to better understand themechanisms responsible for reductions in growth and yield inaffected crops. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is unique because itdeals with the effects of different attackers – pathogens,herbivores, and parasitic plants, on host processes involved ingrowth, reproduction, and yield. Coverage includes effects onphotosynthesis, partitioning of carbohydrates, water and nutrientrelations, and changes in plant growth hormones. Far from beingsimply a consequence of attack, the alterations in primarymetabolism reflect a more dynamic and complex interaction betweenplant and attacker, sometimes involving re-programming of plantmetabolism by the attacker. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is written anddesigned for use by senior undergraduates and postgraduatesstudying agricultural sciences, applied entomology, cropprotection, plant pathology and plant sciences. Biological andagricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and cropprotection industries, and in academia, will find much of use inthis book. All libraries in universities and researchestablishments where biological and agricultural sciences arestudied and taught should have copies of this exciting book ontheir shelves

Pests and pathogens cause enormous damage to crops and natural vegetation but their effects are usually studied separately. This new review volume covers both subjects with the aim of establishing where their effects overlap or where there are essential differences. Plant responses to pests are triggered by injury to photosynthetic tissue. The usual physiological response is a modification of growth to minimize damage. In populations of wild plants, a loss of competitive and reproductive fitness normally occurs, whereas crops suffer from a lower harvestably yield. By reviewing areas of commonality it is intended that crop loss assessment models can be refined and improved, particularly since pests and pathogens often affect crops simultaneously. Recent advances in the understanding of basic wound responses, and both intra- and inter-plant signalling, reveal the extent to which the biochemistry of different defence mechanisms may have diverged from common origins in the course of evolution. Understanding the reasons for this divergence will, in the long term, greatly benefit efforts in plant breeding. It is intended for plant researchers; postgraduates and final year undergraduate students in plant biology (particularly plant pathology), agricultural botany and entomology.

Plant diseases are destructive and threaten virtually any crop grown on a commercial scale. They are kept in check by plant breeding strategies that have introgressed disease resistance genes into many important crops, and by the deployment of costly control measures, such as antibiotics and fungicides. However, the capacity for the agents of plant disease - viruses, bacteria, fungi, and oomycetes - to adapt to new conditions, overcoming disease resistance and becoming resistant to pesticides, is very great. For these reasons, understanding the biology of plant diseases is essential for the development of durable control strategies. Plant-Pathogen Interactions provides and overview of our current knowledge of plant-pathogen interactions and the establishment of plant disease, drawing together fundamental new information on plant infection mechanisms and host responses. The role of molecular signals, gene regulation, and the physiology of pathogenic organisms are emphasized, but the role of the prevailing environment in the conditioning of disease is also discussed. Emphasizing the broader understanding that has emerged from the use of molecular genetics and genomics, Plant-Pathogen Interactions highlights those interactions that have been most widely studied and those in which genome information has provided a new level of understanding.

The survival of plants on our planet is nothing short of miraculous. They are virtually stationary packages of food, providing sustenance for a vast array of organisms, ranging from bacteria and fungi, through to insects, and even other plants. But plants are master survivors, having coped with changing environments and evolving predators over much of the history of life on earth. They have surveillance systems and defences that would put most modern armies to shame. They need to have a formidable armoury, because their enemies have sophisticated weaponry of their own. In this often hostile world, battles are fought daily, often to the death. These battles are not trivial - they matter, because life on this fragile planet of ours depends on plants. In this book Dale Walters takes readers on a journey through these battlefields, exploring how predators try to fool plants' surveillance systems and, if they manage to do so, how they gain access to the nourishment they require. Incredibly, successful attackers can manipulate plant function in order to suppress any attempt by the plant to mount defensive action, while at the same time ensuring a steady supply of food for their own survival. Walters shows how plants respond to such attacks, the defences they use, and how the attacked plant can communicate its plight to its neighbours. These skirmishes represent the latest stage in an unending evolutionary war between plants and organisms that feed on them. These battles might be on a micro scale, but they are every bit as fierce, complicated, and fascinating as the battles between animal predators and prey.

This second of a two-part treatise describes the phenomena of plants under stress, describing the relationship between plant structure, development, and growth and such environmental stresses as too much or too little water, light, heat, or cold.

Plants are sources of nourishment for thousands of fungi, bacteria, invertebrates, vertebrates, and other plants. Plants possess a truly remarkable diversity of mechanisms to fend off attackers and recent research has shown just how complex and sophisticated these defense mechanisms can be. Plant Defense provides comprehensive coverage of the range of different organisms that plants need to fend off, describes how plants coordinate their defenses against multiple attacks, explains the evolution of defense in plants, and how plant defences are exploited in crop protection strategies. Plant Defense: Covers plants’ defenses against pathogens, pests, and parasitic plants: together in one book Brings together succinct, cutting edge information in a user-friendly format Gives an understanding of how plants ward off attacks from multiple enemies Is written by Dale Walters, an internationally known and respected researcher and teacher in crop protection, who distils his wealth of knowledge in a novel and exciting way Is an essential purchase for all those involved in plant protection around the globe Plant Defense is primarily designed for use by upper undergraduates and post graduates studying crop protection, agricultural sciences, applied entomology, plant pathology, and plant sciences. Biological and agricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and crop protection industries, and in academia, will find much of great use in this excellent new book. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where agricultural and biological sciences are studied and taught should have multiple copies of this very valuable book on their shelves.