Luit J. De Kok - Böcker

Combining an ecosystems approach with new insights at the molecular and biochemical level, this book presents the latest findings on how plants respond, physiologically, to sulfur in their environment. It explores key areas – such as biotic and abiotic interactions, adaptations to fluctuating supply, and sulfur’s role in plant metabolic networks – to assess the functions and implications of this essential plant nutrient in a range of natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic environments.Leaders in the field, Hawkesford and de Kok, draw together an international group of experts in plant sulfur nutrition, to collate and integrate new information from molecular biology, ecology and physiology. The result is an important new reference on the relationships between plants and sulfur at all levels – including contributions arising from recent ‘omic’ approaches. With implications for issues such as agriculture, forestry, water management and ecosystem restoration, this book is relevant to a wide audience, from graduate level students and researchers, to policy makers and practitioners.

Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants: Concepts and Approaches is the ninth volume in the Plant Ecophysiology series. It presents a broad overview of topics related to improvement of nutrient use efficiency of crops. Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a measure of how well plants use the available mineral nutrients. It can be defined as yield (biomass) per unit input (fertilizer, nutrient content). NUE is a complex trait: it depends on the ability to take up the nutrients from the soil, but also on transport, storage, mobilization, usage within the plant, and even on the environment. NUE is of particular interest as a major target for crop improvement. Improvement of NUE is an essential pre-requisite for expansion of crop production into marginal lands with low nutrient availability but also a way to reduce use of inorganic fertilizer.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 9th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was hosted by Heinz Rennenberg, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and was held at Schloss Reinach, Freiburg-Munzigen, Germany from April 14-17, 2014.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 9th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was hosted by Heinz Rennenberg, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and was held at Schloss Reinach, Freiburg-Munzigen, Germany from April 14-17, 2014.

Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants: Concepts and Approaches is the ninth volume in the Plant Ecophysiology series. It presents a broad overview of topics related to improvement of nutrient use efficiency of crops. Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is a measure of how well plants use the available mineral nutrients. It can be defined as yield (biomass) per unit input (fertilizer, nutrient content). NUE is a complex trait: it depends on the ability to take up the nutrients from the soil, but also on transport, storage, mobilization, usage within the plant, and even on the environment. NUE is of particular interest as a major target for crop improvement. Improvement of NUE is an essential pre-requisite for expansion of crop production into marginal lands with low nutrient availability but also a way to reduce use of inorganic fertilizer.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 10th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was held in Goslar, Germany September 1-4, 2015. The focus of this workshop was on the fundamental, environmental and agricultural aspects of sulfur in plants, and presents an overview of the progress in the research developments in this field in the 28 years since the first of these workshops. The volume covers various aspects of the regulation of the uptake and assimilation of sulfate in plants from a molecular to a whole plant level with an emphasis on the significance of sulfur metabolism in plant responses to stress and in food security.

This proceedings volume contains a selection of invited and contributed papers of the 10th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Plants, which was held in Goslar, Germany September 1-4, 2015.

The main force behind climate change is the elevated concentration of CO2 in the at­ mosphere. Carbon dioxide and air pollutants come mostly from the same industrial sources and diffuse globally, so that air pollution is also part of global change in the pre­ sent era. The impacts on plants and plant ecosystems have complex interrelationships and lead to global change in a circular manner as changes in land cover and atmospheric and soil environments. Plant metabolism of CO2 and air pollutants and their gas fluxes in plant ecosystems influence the global gaseous cycles as well as the impacts on plants. The 6th International Symposium on Plant Responses to Air Pollution and Global Changes was held at the Tsukuba Center for Institutes and Epochal Tsukuba, in Tsukuba, Japan, October 19-22, 2004. The aim of the symposium series is to bring together scien­ tists of various disciplines who are actively involved in research on responses of plant metabolism to air pollution and global change. The previous symposia were held in Ox­ ford, UK, 1982 (1st), in Munich, Germany, 1987 (2nd), in Blacksburg, USA, 1992 (3rd), in Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands, 1997 (4th), and in Pulawy, Poland, 2001 (5th).

The impacts on plants and plant ecosystems have complex interrelationships and lead to global change in a circular manner as changes in land cover and atmospheric and soil environments. Plant metabolism of CO2 and air pollutants and their gas fluxes in plant ecosystems influence the global gaseous cycles as well as the impacts on plants.

Combining an ecosystems approach with new insights at the molecular and biochemical level, this book presents the latest findings on how plants respond, physiologically, to sulfur in their environment. It explores key areas – such as biotic and abiotic interactions, adaptations to fluctuating supply, and sulfur’s role in plant metabolic networks – to assess the functions and implications of this essential plant nutrient in a range of natural, semi-natural and anthropogenic environments.Leaders in the field, Hawkesford and de Kok, draw together an international group of experts in plant sulfur nutrition, to collate and integrate new information from molecular biology, ecology and physiology. The result is an important new reference on the relationships between plants and sulfur at all levels – including contributions arising from recent ‘omic’ approaches. With implications for issues such as agriculture, forestry, water management and ecosystem restoration, this book is relevant to a wide audience, from graduate level students and researchers, to policy makers and practitioners.

This proceedings volume contains the invited and a selection of the contributed papers of the 8th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants, which was held at Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia from November 22-27, 2010. Content of the volume shows that the understanding of sulfur metabolism in plants and the interaction of the environment are rapidly progressing.This volume covers various aspects of the regulation of sulfate uptake and assimilation in plants, from a cellular to a whole plant level, and additionally emphasizes interactions with other minerals. Moreover the significance of sulfur metabolism in biotic and abiotic stress responses, in food security and quality, and in relation to interactions with global change factors is discussed in detail.

This proceedings volume contains the invited and a selection of the contributed papers of the 8th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants, which was held at Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia from November 22-27, 2010.

The title ‘Phosphorus in Agriculture: 100 % Zero’ is synonymous for make-or-break. And it stands up to the promise. This book sends an important message as it delivers background information, intrinsic hypotheses, validation approaches and legal frameworks, all for balanced phosphorus fertilization in agriculture. This implies firstly that the phosphorus requirement of crop is fully satisfied by applying exclusively fertilizers which contain the nutrient in completely available form. Secondly, environmental demands through eutrophication and hazardous contaminants must not be compromised. The book identifies equally knowledge gaps and deficits in the transformation and implementation of research into practice. Bottom line is that research delivers the tools for a sustainable phosphorus management while legal frameworks are insufficient.