Acid rain is known as the 'air killer' because of its devastating damage to the ecosystem. As the major factor in the terrestrial ecosystem, the toxic effect of acid rain on plants has attracted more attention of researchers. The loss in agriculture and forestry caused by acid rain aggravates the...

This chapter makes a clear definition of animal health and how the mental health of animals is related or affected by the physical health of the animals. This chapter likewise discussed how interactions of the macro and micro environments with the individual's genetic, epigenetic, molecular,...

This paper reviews the distribution, zonation and ecophysiological tolerances of salt marsh plants in South Africa. In South Africa salt marsh covers 11,788.8 ha with the largest areas occurring in the Berg, Olifants, Orange and Langebaan Estuaries. The changing climate necessitates in-depth...

Halophytes have evolved a range of adaptations to tolerate disturbances in reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis caused by high salinity alone or in combination with other stresses. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂), superoxide anion (O₂^.-), hydroxyl radical (OH^.) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) are the major...

Understanding the various mechanisms of salt-stress tolerance is important for crop improvement, especially when approximately 20% of agricultural land and 50% of crop land in the world is under salt stress. Stomatal closure due to salt stress reduces the CO₂:O₂ ratio inside the leaf tissues and...

Plants are submitted to a chilling stress when exposed to low, non-freezing temperatures. Some are able to cope with this stress and acquire chilling tolerance; in some species, the exposure to this stress will even trigger developmental responses. Other (chilling-sensitive) species will not be...

The increasing temperature of the Earth is a very significant consequence of present climatic conditions. High temperature may lead to reduced plant growth and limited crop yield. Photosynthesis is a key phenomenon that contributes substantially to the growth and development of the plant. At the...

Heavy metals include the transition-metal elements essential to plant nutrition: iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and molybdenum (Mo), cobalt (Co) (which is required for nitrogen fixation in legumes); and the non-essential elements chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), mercury...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a small gaseous molecule and free radical with important and distinct roles in diverse physiological functions in biological systems. The relevance of NO as a signalling molecule is well known, particularly in neurons as a neurotransmitter, in blood vessels as a regulator of...

This chapter aims to review the biology of grafting and the factors influencing graft compatibility, focusing on the molecular and physiological aspects affecting graft development and success in herbaceous and woody plants. Recently, genes known to be involved in wounding/healing, vascular...