Ecophysiology of Economic Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

Eeonomie plants range from those that are eommercially utilised by the industrial nations of the world to those that safeguard the survival of hunter-gatherer aboriginal eommunities. In a world of inereasing human and livestock populations, land and environment degradation, species loss and climatic change, it is becoming inerea singly important to work for the sustainable management of the world's natural resourees. This is especially important for the arid and semi-arid regions where any abuse of the harsh environment is unforgiving. Plant resourees are especially important sinee they proteet the environment, provide habitats for both flora and fauna, and direetly or indireetly provide the resourees for man's survival. An understanding of how plants are adapted to survive is an essential tool for the better management of the environment. Sinee there are over 20000 useful plants in the arid and sem i-arid regions of the world, of which only a relative few have been even partially investigated, the writer makes no apologies for whieh plants have been included or ignored. All the plants mentioned in the introductory ehap ters marked with an asterisk are diseussed more fully in Chapter 11.

brings together a wide range of data on individual economic species that has hitherto not been available within a single publication provides an overview of usages within the entire distribution of a species and thereby makes possible a better evaluation of a plant's usefulness

Klappentext

This book deals with arid and semi-arid environments and their classification, and the physiological restraints and adaptations of plants to the environment. Further, it discusses economic botany and the needs and methods of conserving economic plants. A broad view is taken regarding the definition of economic plants, taking into account their value to the environment as well as to man and to livestock. The individual deserts and associated semi-arid regions are described in separate chapters, providing background information on the regional environments in terms of climate and major plant formations. The economic plants within these formations, their usages, geographical distribution together with their morphological and physiological adaptations are treated in detail.

Inhalt
1 Economic Plants, and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of the World.- 2 The Arid and Semi-Arid Environments of the World.- 3 Arid and Semi-arid Regions and Ecosystems of the World.- 4 Ecophysiology, Nitrogen-Fixation and Plant Stress.- 5 Water Stress.- 6 Temperature Stress.- 7 Salt Stress.- 8 Photosynthesis.- 9 Plant Metabolites.- 10 Anatomical and Morphological Adaptations.- 11 Selected Arid Land Plants: Their Ecophysiology and Uses.- References.- Taxonomic Indices.- Botanical Index.- Zoological Index.