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ADVANCES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY EDITOR
A. HEMANTARANJAN BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY, VARANASI, INDIA PLANT PHYSIOLOGY & PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN NEW MILLENNIUM
General Instructions for submitting Review Articles to the Editor
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Preface:
ADVANCES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, VOLUME-4, 2001
We are
currently experiencing an exceptional stepping up in the pace of
scientific progress in view of the fact that our recent publications
of the treatise on ADVANCES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY including Plant
Physiology, Biochemistry and Plant Molecular Biology in 2000 [Volume
3, Advances in Plant Physiology] make a clean breast testament! With
this special issue of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology in New
Millennium, Volume 4, Advances in Plant Physiology, I have
the dispensation to initiating a new series especially devoted to a new generation
of young scientists with a view to reinforce the identical effort and to
stipulate the outcome of meticulous research in some of the very practical and
electrifying areas of Plant Physiology-Biochemistry-Plant Molecular
Physiology/Biology for factual integration, deep mental evaluation and
scientific future planning to truly make succinct approach for intent oriented
research to really make feasible the qualitative and quantitative productivity
of all advantageous crops in the twenty-first century of the new millennium.
This is indeed for the reason of expected binary increase in the human
population by the year 2025. Many revolutionary insights and original
discoveries were made during the last 50 years, but plant physiologists
still had insufficient mechanistic understanding of the biological
processes they were studying. The advent of innovative molecular
tools has changed all that: virtually every day, plants become
less and less of a "black box”. Besides these, at the
moment it is obvious that the two lines of investigation, practical and
fundamental, must always go hand in hand. There can never be a
logical parting of these two aspects of our science. Correspondingly, there
can never be a rational separation of the pure physiologists from the
practical physiologists. Our tasks are one and we must learn to march
together in our performance! Out
of the eight pertinent sections, the foremost subdivision embraces seven germane
chapters devoted to the most needful field of Environmental Stresses,
which instigates with the photosynthetic responses of C3 plants to
drought by Spanish scientists in chapter one, aiming to infuse the knowledge
about drought stress effects on photosynthesis, accumulated during the 20th
Century. In addition, the chapter intends giving an integrated view of the
partial processes studied, reconciling discrepancies between different authors
about the predominance of stomatal and non-stomatal limitations to
photosynthesis. Remote sensing of drought has an important applicability,
provided the determinant role of drought in limiting plant productivity is
worldwide. In second chapter, Bulgarian and Italian scientists together have
reviewed the influence of high temperature on photosynthetic apparatus
illustrating that high temperature is one of the main stress factors, which in
association with other stresses like drought, salinity, and high irradiance, can
limit the productivity of plants. Understanding the mechanisms of heat damage
and tolerance is, therefore, important if we are to improve the crop yield under
stress conditions. Application of genetic and molecular techniques to dissect
specific processes involved in heat damage and acclimation may help in their
better elucidation, and to identify specific genes responsible of susceptibility
and tolerance to high temperature in higher plants. Subject
experts have written the third chapter in this context from Argentina on
Oxidative stress and damage in chloroplasts from dawn to dusk. It summarizes
information concerning production of active oxygen species (AOS) and the
relationship between AOS and oxidative damage in the context of the stressed
cell, followed by a brief description of the mechanisms that operate in response
to stress stimuli. Finally, it describes various processes known to contribute
to plant tolerance, as well as attempts to design transgenic plants displaying
improved resistance to oxidative stress. Afterwards, the chapter four carries
information about glutathione and oxidative stresses in plants. These studies
have not only revealed the role played by glutathione in protection against
different forms of stress but also drew attention to the regulatory factors
mediating the metabolic signalling for modified rates of GSH synthesis and
accumulation. Experiments along these lines would prove to be beneficial in the
clear understanding of plant tolerance to oxidative stress. This follows another
needful topic related to the chemical protection of plants against ozone: role
of ethylenediurea (EDU) as chapter five, which suggests that by adopting a short
term but little effective approach, air pollution damage can be minimized and as
evidenced, this can be lessened by modifying edaphic and environmental factors
or through the use of chemical protectants. Among all chemicals used so far, EDU
has been extensively used against O3 stress. A
separate chapter six has been also devoted to illustrate the variable response
of legume species and their cultivars to salinity stress during various stages
of growth and metabolism, which is followed by an additional chapter seven
providing fascinating literature regarding the symbiotic nitrogen fixation
response to abiotic factors. This chapter has well discussed about the response
of N2 fixation to some of the environmental factors such as salinity,
drought, water-logging, temperature, acidity, elevated atmospheric CO2
and agrochemicals, considered to be of great significance in the present
perspective. The
Section–II consists of two chapters mainly concerned with modern research in
Molecular Physiology or Biology. The Portuguese workers have compiled Ca2+
signalling systems in plants with reference to the cell as the minimum unity for
complexity, as Ca2+ signals may induce different transduction
pathways resulting in a signal-specific [Ca2+]c
fingerprint. Subsequently, another chapter in this section deals with the
molecular markers and tagging of genes in crop plants and thereby considerably
enriching the concept and insight to take up precise research studies in the
field of Molecular Physiology and overall Biology in the years to come. Next to
this, the Section-III emphasizes the phycotechnological advances related to
physiological and molecular implications of biofertilizer, which has the
ultimate aim to supply our farmers with inexpensive indigenous biofertilizers
and reduce their burden on expensive chemical fertilizers.
Thus, any practice aimed at increasing biological nitrogen fixation
through cyanobacterial biofertilization must be acceptable to a large spectrum
of farmers.
Nevertheless, as
distinctive homeostatic mechanisms have emerged in plants to sustain their
micronutrient nutrition, and facilitate them to act in response to micronutrient
stress, the fourth section entitled “iron
nutrition and interactions in plants” has focused
attention on phytosiderophore production and activity with special reference to
physiological and molecular implications of nicotianamine and related
phytosiderophores and mechanisms of iron uptake from siderophores because of the
critical role of iron in growth, metabolism and development of plants. Added to
this, in Section-V, an attempt has been made to clarify the mechanisms involved
in establishment of pathogen to their host correlated with the activation of
defense mechanisms considering possible signaling mechanisms and systemic
acquired resistance (SAR), the biotechnological approaches that are currently
used to defend plants from pathogens, as chapter twelve. Accordingly, efforts
have been also made to simplify and to assemble comprehensibly the overall
research in the important field of “nitrogen metabolism”, and so the chapter thirteen
of the Section-VI perceptively deals with the uptake of nitrate and its
regulation especially in crop plants. The next volume is bringing at least two
more review articles in this context. Besides this, more researches need to be
carried out in order to achieve a better understanding of the signal
transduction pathways in the nitrogen fixing symbiosis, as well as plant hormone
regulation of plant genes, therefore, chapters fourteen and fifteen of the
Section-VII splendidly bring to light the molecular and physiological advances
in biological nitrogen fixation and thereby reassuring the treatise with
enormous constructive pieces of information for readers. The
genetics of nodulation in cereals is not yet fully understood. If the scientific
community could induce nodulation and enhance nitrogen-fixing process with the
help of phytohormones/ growth regulators, it will boost up the yield with
minimum input and will also prove environmental friendly. There is a need to go
into profundity to highlight potentials and promises in achieving sensation in
this direction especially in the new millennium. Eventually, the chapter sixteen
of the Section-VIII draws thoughtful attention to making strategies for
sustainable and nutritious agriculture, indeed the greatest demand of time. All
along the 16 chapters
divulge the extent of future research in the respective areas and thereby
elevating this volume a lot to develop a true imminent in extending research in
the coming years. Certainly, I also deem it a wealth for agricultural
scientists, belong to the diverse disciplines. This will help us to march
together towards a sustainable and eco-friendly development in plant sciences
under different agro-climatic situations of the globe.
For this, I yearn to express my deep sense of gratitude to all the
honoured contributors, actively engaged in an assortment of explicit areas of
research with all-encompassing knowledge, time-honoured record of distinction
and illustrious authorities, for the time and endeavour they have put into
producing up-to-date reviews to reinforce the execution of the noble objective
tremendously indispensable in the new millennium. I am indebted to each and
every co-author from the core of my heart!
I am ecstatic to convey my genuine thankfulness to all distinguished
plant physiologists, biochemists and molecular biologists all over the world for
their kind approval to act as National/
International Co-ordinators and Consulting Editors in the exquisite and sturdy foundation of the most
comprehensible and momentous treatise of international standard, whose names
have been admirably given at the outset of the treatise under the section of
Consulting Editors. All the same, I cannot fail to owe my gratefulness to the
honourable Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University, the Director, the
Dean, and the Faculty Members of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, B.H.U.
as well as the Fellow Members of the Indian Society for Plant Physiology, New
Delhi for their trustworthy moral support and precious suggestions from time to
time. My earnest appreciation is very much due to my laudable esteemed
colleagues Dr. Bandana Bose and Dr. J. P. Srivastava, the Staff Members,
Research Fellows and beloved students of the Department of Plant Physiology,
Institute of Agricultural Sciences, B.H.U. for their thorough good wishes and
being of central assistance as and when required.
Last but not the least, I am beholden to Dr. Ms. Anjali Bharati, Ph.D. in
Botany, B.H.U., for her competent assistance to work as the Executive Editor and
to deal exclusively with publication administration. Nevertheless, this task
would not have been consummate without the blessings of my revered mother, all
the elder family members and close relatives. I have my profound love and
regards to all of them. Above all, I am exceedingly thankful to the outstanding
Staff Members of the Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, India, for their true
efficiency and ideal printing of this treatise, which is already dedicated to
the loving memory of my sacrosanct father Late Dr. A. Chittaranjan Sahay.
Dr.
A. Hemantaranjan
Editor
October
17, 2001 Banaras
Hindu University
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