Soil Water Measurement, Plant Responses, and Breeding for Drought Resistance

Book excerpt: Water Deficits and Plant Growth, Volume IV: Soil Water Measurement, Plant Responses, and Breeding for Drought Resistance explores the physiological effects of water deficits on plants and their implications on crop yield, water use, and drought resistance. This book also considers drought-resistance measurements and their application to breeding programs. This volume is organized into eight chapters and begins with an overview of measurement of soil water content and the state of water in soils. Particular emphasis is placed on methods developed from technological advances. The next two chapters focus on the structure and functioning of stomata and stomatal conductance in control of gas exchange. The discussion then shifts to the effects of water supply on photosynthesis, leaf shedding, flow of latex, and nitrogen-fixing root nodules. The final chapter is a comprehensive treatment of plant breeding for drought resistance, emphasizing breeding and testing methods as well as parameters and application to breeding programs of drought resistance. This book is a valuable resource for scientists and investigators in fields such as botany, agronomy, forestry, agriculture, and biology.