Stephen Pallardy’s research interests include the physiological responses of plants to water stress and comparative water relations, and the mechanisms by which seedlings of selected woody species and ecotypes are able to resist drought stress more effectively than others. The underlying motivation for that research included understanding how selective pressures that are associated with xeric habitats influence the evolution of drought adaptations among and within species and potential genetic improvements as a result.

• Introduction. Seed Germination and Seedling Growth. Physiological Regulation of Vegetative Growth. Physiological Regulation of Reproductive Growth. Environmental Regulation of Vegetative Growth. Environmental Regulation of Reproductive Growth. Cultural Practices and Vegetative Growth. Cultural Practices and Reproductive Growth. Biotechnology. Subject Index.

"The book will be useful for students and researchers already familiar with plant physiology because it provides an efficient means of accessing the primary literature in an impressive array of topics. The authors are to be commended for a no-nonsense compilation of the vast literature on woody plant physiology." --THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY"...this book gives a broad and valuable overview for students on woody plants and many fields of applied and basic plant science. It can also be used as a reference book for researchers." --JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY