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Plant Physiology PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Vince Ördög Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Vince Ördög Publication date 2011 Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. Table of Contents Cover .................................................................................................................................................. v 1. Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Water and nutrients in plant ............................................................................................................ 2 1. Water balance of plant .......................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Water potential ......................................................................................................... 3 1.2. Absorption by roots .................................................................................................. 6 1.3. Transport through the xylem .................................................................................... 8 1.4. Transpiration ............................................................................................................. 9 1.5. Plant water status .................................................................................................... 11 1.6. Influence of extreme water supply .......................................................................... 12 2. Nutrient supply of plant ...................................................................................................... 13 2.1. Essential nutrients ................................................................................................... 13 2.2. Nutrient uptake ....................................................................................................... 15 2.3. Solute transport ....................................................................................................... 25 2.4. Nutritional deficiencies ........................................................................................... 27 3. Production of primary and secondary metabolites ........................................................................ 33 1. The light reactions of the photosynthesis ............................................................................ 33 2. Carbon reactions of the photosynthesis ............................................................................... 41 3. Photosynthetic activity and environmental factors .............................................................. 48 4. Photosynthesis inhibiting herbicides ................................................................................... 52 5. Secondary metabolites in plant defences ............................................................................. 53 4. Physiology of plant growth and development .............................................................................. 61 1. Cell wall biogenesis and expansion .................................................................................... 61 2. Overview of plant growth and development ....................................................................... 64 3. Regulation of plant growth and development ..................................................................... 70 3.1. Environmental factors ............................................................................................. 71 3.2. Plant hormones ....................................................................................................... 74 3.3. Auxins ..................................................................................................................... 75 3.4. Gibberellins ............................................................................................................ 81 3.5. Cytokinins ............................................................................................................... 84 3.6. Ethylene .................................................................................................................. 88 3.7. Abscisic acid ........................................................................................................... 91 3.8. Brassinosteroids ...................................................................................................... 95 4. Synthetic and microbial plant hormones in plant production .............................................. 97 5. Plant stress physiology ...................................................................................................... 104 5.1. The basic concepts of plant stress, acclimation, and adaptation ........................... 104 5.2. The light-dependent inhibition of photosynthesis ................................................. 106 5.3. Temperature stress ................................................................................................ 107 5.4. Imbalances in soil minerals .................................................................................. 108 5.5. Developmental and physiological mechanisms against environmental stress ...... 109 5. References .................................................................................................................................. 113 6. Questions .................................................................................................................................... 114 iii Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. List of Tables 1. ........................................................................................................................................................ v iv Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. Cover PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Authors: Vince Ördög Zoltán Molnár Az Agrármérnöki MSc szak tananyagfejlesztése TÁMOP-4.1.2-08/1/A-2009-0010 projekt Table 1. v Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. Chapter 1. Preface Plant physiology is one chapter from the classical handbook of Strasburger (2008). According to him, plant physiology is the science which is connected to the material and energy exchange, growth and development, as well as movement of plant. Plant physiology is the science that studies plant function: what is going on in plants that accounts for their being alive (Salisbury and Ross, 1992). Another definition of plant physiology by Taiz and Zeiger (2010) is the study of plant function, encompassing the dynamic processes of growth, metabolism and reproduction in living plants. Nowadays these latter two handbooks are widely used in the European higher educational level. Plant physiology is overlapped with its related branch of knowledge: biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology. The basic knowledge of plant physiology, that is necessary for experts in agriculture, is presented in our lecture notes based on the content of the above mentioned three handbooks, complemented with Hopkins and Hüner's (2009) manual. Uptake and transport of water and minerals are explained in general. The nutrient supply of plant is presented in details (essential elements, solute transport, nutritional deficiencies). Most common processes of plant biochemistry and metabolism, such as photosynthesis, are highlighted. Plant growth and development is introduced with the characterization and commercial use of plant growth regulators (PGRS, plant hormones). The basic concepts of plant stress is complemented with the presentation of physiological mechanisms against different environmental stresses. 1 Created by XMLmind XSL-FO Converter. Chapter 2. Water and nutrients in plant 1. Water balance of plant Water in plant life Water plays a crucial role in the life of plant. It is the most abundant constituents of most organisms. Water typically accounts for more than 70 percent by weight of non-woody plant parts. The water content of plants is in a continual state of flux. The constant flow of water through plants is a matter of considerable significance to their growth and survival. The uptake of water by cells generates a pressure known as turgor. Photosynthesis requires that plants draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and at the same time exposes them to water loss. To prevent leaf desiccation, water must be absorbed by the roots, and transported through the plant body. Balancing the uptake, transport, and loss of water represents an important challenge for land plants. The thermal properties of water contribute to temperature regulation, helping to ensure that plants do not cool down or heat up too rapidly. Water has excellent solvent properties. Many of the biochemical reactions occur in water and water is itself either a reactant or a product in a large number of those reactions. The practice of crop irrigation reflects the fact that water is a key resource limiting agricultural productivity. Water availability likewise limits the productivity of natural ecosystems (Figure 1.1). Plants use water in huge amounts, but only small part of that remains in the plant to supply growth. About 97% of water taken up by plants is lost to the atmosphere, 2% is used for volume increase or cell expansion, and 1% for metabolic processes, predominantly photosynthesis. Water loss to the atmosphere appears to be an inevitable consequence of carrying out photosynthesis. The uptake of CO2 is coupled to the loss of water (Figure 1.2). Because the driving gradient for water loss from leaves is much larger than that for CO2 uptake, as many as 400 water molecules are lost for every CO2 molecule gained.
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