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The rapidly depleting energy resources and world wide increase in environmental pollution have shaken many old and well established practices with agricultural being no exception. The energy needs of nations and communities are evaluated entirely on the basis of per capita consumption and predictions about future growth in population. The government policy obviously is aimed at increasing agricultural production under varied environmental stresses. According to Economic Survey of India food grain production increase by 1.7 per cent is much less than the rate of 1.9 per cent increase in population. The situation further aggravates with the recent announcement about the birth of one billionth Indian by the Census Commission of India. It is expected that population of India in 2025 would be 1365 million. This could be a wake up call for the nation, which is still basking in the glory of green revolution. In addition to this All India Yield Indices of major crops are found to be stagnating or declining due to stagnating yield and decreasing land- man ratio. This calls for urgency in managing the available resources judiciously in such a way as to be benefitted maximally.
Since the man learned the art of agriculture, his principal aim has been the promotion and control of plant growth and development. He soon realized that some chemicals, which regulate intrinsic physiological potential of the plants, mediate the control of balance between root and shoot, between vegetative growth and flower and between flower and fruit. These chemical substances have come to be known as plant growth substances or phytohormones. During the last few decades developments in the field of phytohormones have been rapid and impressive, the First International Conference on Growth Substances was held in Paris in 1937. Professor P. Boysen-Jensen was the president at this meeting. These plant growth substances have found to play an important role in increasing the yield of the crops.
In today`s changing scenario of India with handful of earth to live off because of dual impact of population growth and growth of industries causing deterioration of the environment, the phytohormones may prove its potential in enhancing yield of crops in varied environments. The articles in this book explore the possibilities in which phytohormones could play a decisive role in enhancing productivity under varied environmental stresses, such as nutrition, water, senescence and temperature etc. This would open new vistas to think and research on the development of ideotypes for tolerance to drought, nutrient, heat stress, senescence
and other environmental stresses by considering phytohormones status as a physiological trait. ISBN - 9788172332750
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Pages : 233
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