Basic Growth Analysis: Plant Growth Analysis for Beginners

ISBN-13: 9780044453734 / Angielski / Miękka / 1989 / 112 str.

Roderick Hunt; R. Hunt

Opis

This handbook is intended as an introductory guide to students at all levels on the principles and practice of plant growth analysis. Many have found this quantitative approach to be useful in the description and interpretation of the performance of whole plant systems grown under natural, semi-natural or controlled conditions. Most of the methods described require only simple experimental data and facilities. For the classical approach, GCSE biology and mathematics (or their equivalents) are the only theoretical backgrounds required. For the functional approach, a little calculus and statistical theory is needed. All of the topics regarding the quantitative basis of productivity recently introduced to the Biology A-level syllabus by the Joint Matriculation Board are covered. The booklet replaces my elementary Plant Growth Analysis (1978, London: Edward Arnold) which is now out of print. The presentation is very basic indeed; the opening pages give only essential outlines of the main issues. They are followed by brief, standardized accounts of each growth-analytical concept taken in turn. The illustrations deal more with the properties of well-grown material than with the effects of specific environmental changes, even though that is where much of the subject's interest lies. However, detailed references to the relevant parts of more com- prehensive works appear throughout, and a later section on 'Inter- relations' adds perspective. Some 'Questions and answers' may also help to show what topics will arise if the subject is pursued further.

Recenzje

`... A no-nonsense introduction to the subject, a working manual which sets out clearly, mostly in the form of double page spreads, how to calculate a variety of growth rates, growth ratios and other growth parameters, with a range of relevant examples from the literature.'
New Phytologist

Spis treści

1 Introduction.- Growth.- Plant growth.- Plant growth analysis.- ‘Classical’ and ‘functional’ approaches.- Harvesting technique.- Units.- Notation.- Computing, mathematics, statistics.- Concepts and levels.- 2 Absolute growth rates.- Absolute growth rate in size (AGR).- Absolute grówth rate in number.- Absolute growth rate in populations.- Concluding remarks.- 3 Relative growth rates.- Relative growth rate (RGR).- Other relative growth rates.- Intrinsic rate of population increase.- Relative growth rates in biotechnology.- Concluding remarks.- 4 Simple ratios.- Leaf area ratio (LAR).- Specific leaf area (SLA).- Leaf weight ratio (LWR).- Leaf area index (LAI).- Efficiency of energy conversion digestible energy.- Harvestable dry matter (harvest index).- Harvestable protein.- Root-shoot allometric coefficient.- Other allometric coefficients.- Concluding remarks.- 5 Compounded growth rates.- Unit leaf rate (ULR).- Other leaf efficiencies.- Crop growth rate (CGR).- Specific absorption rate (SAR).- Specific utilization rate (SUR).- Sub-cellular efficiencies.- Unit production rate (UPR).- Component production rate (CPR).- Concluding remarks.- 6 Integral durations.- Leaf area duration (LAD).- Biomass duration (BMD).- Concluding remarks.- 7 Other independent variables.- 8 Interrelations.- In general.- Between ratios.- Between rates.- Within individual plants.- Within populations and communities.- An integrated scheme.- Concluding remarks.- 9 Questions and answers.- Tables of synopses.- Synopsis of the main derived quantities.- Synopsis of primary quantities and associated terms.- References.