Malcolm J. Hawkesford – författare

Efforts to increase efficient nutrient use by crops are of growing importance as the global demand for food, fibre and fuel increases and competition for resources intensifies. The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops provides both a timely summary of the latest advances in the field as well as anticipating directions for future research.  The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops bridges the gap between agronomic practice and molecular biology by linking underpinning molecular mechanisms to the physiological and agronomic aspects of crop yield. These chapters provide an understanding of molecular and physiological mechanisms that will allow researchers to continue to target and improve complex traits for crop improvement.Written by leading international researchers, The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops will be an essential resource for the crop science community for years to come.Special Features: coalesces current knowledge in the areas of efficient acquisition and utilization of nutrients by crop plants with emphasis on modern developmentsaddresses future directions in crop nutrition in the light of changing climate patterns including temperature and water availabilitybridges the gap between traditional agronomy and molecular biology with focus on underpinning molecular mechanisms and their effects on crop yieldincludes contributions from a leading team of global experts in both research and practical settings

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 specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on improving crop nutrient use efficiency.The first chapter explores the relationship between rhizobacteria and plant roots, looking primarily at the recruitment of rhizobacteria by the plant to carry out particular functions, such as nutrient acquisition. The chapter highlights our current understanding of the molecular determinants of legume nodulation as well as challenges for improvements of biological nitrogen fixation in legumes and non-legumes.The second chapter considers the rising use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in agriculture and its role in the shrinking contribution of soil organic N. The chapter explores the impact of the inefficient management of N (low nitrogen-use efficiency) and the consequent developments of major environmental issues, such as pollution to groundwater, oceans and the atmosphere.The third chapter addresses key issues in using N fertilizers in wheat production, such as product cost and environmental impact. The chapter summarises the development of N-efficient cultivars and their economic benefits, as well as their role in reducing the environmental impact of excessive N fertilizer inputs, whilst maintaining respectable yields.The final chapter considers the use of breeding techniques, including genetic variability, to develop more efficient wheat varieties with improved traits related to nitrogen capture, nitrogen assimilation and nitrogen remobilization.

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on improving nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE).The first chapter provides an overview of the recent advances in optimising NUE in crop production, focussing on broadacre cereals and oilseeds. The chapter also addresses the impact of underfertilisation and overfertilisation on crop yield, grain quality and profit.The second chapter outlines recent advances in understanding nitrogen (N) cycling in soil, as well as the main issues researchers and farmers are presented with when attempting to optimise productivity while minimising environmental impacts.The third chapter considers the ways in which molecular interventions can be used to optimise crop NUE in rice and how these interventions can contribute towards producing rice genotypes with high yields at low N-inputs.The fourth chapter reviews the principal mechanisms of N-uptake and efficient capture by crop root systems. The chapter also details the impact of abiotic stress factors on N-uptake and proliferation, such as soil structure and overall health.The final chapter reviews the role of traits related to N-uptake, N-assimilation and N-remobilisation in breeding more efficient varieties of wheat. The chapter also discusses future major research trends, such as high-throughput phenotyping.

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.

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.