Vijay Pratap Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany at C.M.P. Degree College in the University of Allahabad in India. His research is focused on the regulation of abiotic stress in plants, with a special emphasis on nitric oxide, nutrients, phytohormonal, hydrogen sulfide, and reactive oxygen species signaling. Manzer H. Siddiqui is an Associate Professor of plant physiology at the Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Siddiqui has more than 22 years of research experience in crop production, with special emphasis on the management strategies of different fertilizers, plant growth regulators and signaling molecules. He is interested in unveiling the physiological and molecular basis of mechanisms of tolerance of plants to various environmental stresses.

• List of Contributors xiiPreface xvi1 Regulation of Metabolites by Nutrients in Plants 1Akash Tariq, Fanjiang Zeng, Corina Graciano, Abd Ullah, Sehrish Sadia, Zeeshan Ahmed, Ghulam Murtaza, Khasan Ismoilov, and Zhihao ZhangIntroduction 1Nitrogen (N) 2Phosphorus (P) 3Potassium (K) 5Sulfur (S) 7Magnesium (Mg) 7Calcium (Ca) 8Boron (B) 9Chlorine (Cl) 10Copper (Cu) 11Iron (Fe) 11References 122 Agricultural Production Relation with Nutrient Applications 19Sehrish Sadia, Muhammad Zubair, Akash Tariq, Fanjiang Zeng, Corina Graciano, Abd Ullah, Zeeshan Ahmed, Zhihao Zhang, and Khasan IsmoilovIntroduction 19Soil as a Basic Element in Agriculture 21Constituents and Ingredients of Soil 21Essential Nutrients in Agriculture Especially in Plants 23Beneficial/Valuable Nutrients 24Some Other Valuable Nutrients 24Plant Nutrient Sources 24Plant Nutrients Supply and Nature 24Compost 25Biosolids 25Manure of Livestock 25Crop Residues 25Atmospheric Deposition 26Synthetic Fertilizers 26Issues Related to Plant Nutrition 26Fertilizers and Fertilization Strategies 27References 283 Role of Nutrients in the ROS Metabolism in Plants 30Muhammad Arslan Ashraf, Rizwan Rasheed, Mudassir Iqbal Shad, Iqbal Hussain, and Muhammad IqbalIntroduction 30Oxidative Defense System 31Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) 33ROS Generation and Functions in Plants 34RNS and ROS Signaling in Plants in Response to Environmental Stresses 35Antioxidant Compounds 36Antioxidant-Mediated RNS/ROS Regulation 37Role of Nutrients in ROS Metabolism Under Salinity 39Role of Nutrients in ROS Metabolism Under Drought 40Role of Nutrients in ROS Metabolism Under Heavy Metal Stress 42Role of Nutrients in ROS Metabolism Under Low- and High-Temperature Stress 43References 454 Polyamines Metabolism and their Regulatory Mechanism in Plant Development and in Abiotic Stress Tolerance 54Savita Bhardwaj, Tunisha Verma, Monika Thakur, Rajeev Kumar, and Dhriti KapoorIntroduction 54Distribution, Biosynthesis, and Catabolism of Polyamines 55Distribution 55Polyamine Biosynthesis 55Catabolism 57Role of Polyamines in Plant Development 57Polyamines as Biochemical Markers for Abiotic Stress Tolerance 59Drought Stress 59Salinity Stress 60Heavy Metal Stress 61Temperature Stress 62Crosstalk of Polyamines with Other Signaling Molecules 63Nitric Oxide 63Plant Growth Regulators 64Conclusion 65References 655 Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and Nutrients Uptake in Plants 73Kashif Tanwir, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Shahid, Hassan Javed Chaudhary, and Muhammad Tariq JavedIntroduction 73Mycorrhizal Association and Its Types 74Endomycorrhiza 74Ectomycorrhiza (ECM) 75Establishment of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in Soil 76Growth of Asymbiotic Hyphae 76Presymbiotic Stage 77Different Symbiotic Stages of Fungal Mycelium Growth 77Root Modifications for Accumulation of Nutrients 79Nitrogen Uptake Mechanisms of Mycorrhizal Symbionts 80Phosphorus Accumulation Mechanisms of Mycorrhizal Fungus 81Potassium (K) and Sodium (Na) Uptake Mechanisms of Mycorrhizal Fungi 83Metabolism of Sulfur in Mycorrhizal Symbiosis 83Role of Mycorrhizal Lipid Metabolism in Nutrients Accumulation 84Mechanism of Micronutrients and Heavy Metal Uptake in Mycorrhizae 85Carbons-Based Triggering of Nutrients Accumulation in Mycorrhizal Symbiosis 86Conclusion 87References 876 Nutrient Availability Regulates Root System Behavior 96Salar Farhangi-Abriz and Kazem Ghassemi-GolezaniIntroduction 96Nutrients Importance in Root Growth and Development 98Morpho-Physiological Responses of Plant Roots to Nutrients Availability 99Macronutrients 99Nitrogen 99Phosphorus 101Potassium 103Calcium 104Magnesium 105Sulfur 105Micronutrients 106Zinc 106Boron 108Copper 108Iron 109Nano Nutrients and Root System Modifications 110Management Strategies for Maximizing Root Systems 110Soil Management 110Plant Management 111Conclusions and Future Perspectives 111References 1127 Potassium Transport Systems at the Plasma Membrane of Plant Cells. Tools for Improving Potassium Use Efficiency of Crops 120Jesús Amo, Almudena Martínez-Martínez, Vicente Martínez, Manuel Nieves-Cordones, and Francisco RubioPotassium (K+) as a Macronutrient for Plants 120Functions of K+ and Its Concentration in Plant Cells 120Concentrations of K+ in Soil, K+-Deficient Soils, and Presence of Environmental Conditions that Affect K+ Nutrition 121K+ Transport Systems 122HAK/KT/KUP Transporters 123Voltage-Gated K+ Channels 124HKT Transporters 125Cyclic Nucleotide Gated Channels 126Key Points for K+ Homeostasis and Transport Systems Involved 127General Mechanisms of Regulation 129Transcriptional Regulation 129PostTranslational Regulation 131Multimerization and Regulatory Subunits 131Regulation by Phosphorylation 131Agriculture for the Future: K+ Use Efficiency and Stress Tolerance 132K+ Use Efficiency 132Abiotic Stress Affecting K+ Homeostasis 133Salinity 133Drought 134Waterlogging 134Toxic Ions 135Biotic Stress Affecting K+ Homeostasis 136Biotechnological Approaches and Emerging Techniques for Crop Improvement 136Models Versus Crops and Translational Research 136Natural Variation Exploitation 137New Alleles Generated in the Lab 138Genome Editing 138References 1398 Role of Nutrients in Modifications of Fruit Quality and Antioxidant Activity 148Tomo Miloševicì and Nebojša MiloševicìIntroduction 148Short Overview About Fruit Quality 149Main Role of Mineral Elements on Trees Growth, Development, and Fruit Quality 150The Ionomic Analysis of Fruit Crops 152Requirements of Fruit Trees to Chemical Elements 153The Role of Elements in the Metabolism of Fruit Trees and in Improving Quality 155Macroelements 155Nitrogen (N) 155Phosphorus (P) 156Potassium (K) 156Calcium (Ca) 157Magnesium (Mg) 157Sulfur (S) 158Microelements 158Iron (Fe) 158Manganese (Mn) 159Copper (Cu) 159Zinc (Zn) 159Boron (B) 159Other Essential Microelements 160Conclusion and Future Prospects 161References 1629 Nutrients Use Efficiency in Plants 171Neda DalirIntroduction 171Nutrient Use Efficiency (Concepts and Importance) 172Role of Nutrient-Efficient Plants for Improving Crop Yields 172Physiological Mechanisms in Plant Nutrient Use Efficiency 173Uptake Efficiency 173Acquisition of Available Nutrients 173Increasing Nutrient Availability 174Utilization Efficiency 175Conclusion and Future Prospects 175References 17610 Nutrients Uptake and Transport in Plants: An Overview 180Neda DalirIntroduction 180Routes from the Soil to the Stele 181Apoplastic Pathway 181Symplastic Pathway 183Movement of Solutes Across Membranes 183Passive Transport 184Simple Diffusion 184Facilitated Diffusion 184Osmosis 185Active Transport 185Primary Active Transport 185Secondary Active Transport 185Radial Transport of Mineral Ions 186Long Transport of Mineral Ions 186Conclusion and Future Prospects 187References 18711 Regulation of Phytohormonal Signaling by Nutrients in Plant 191Harshita Joshi, Nikita Bisht, and Puneet Singh ChauhanIntroduction 191Phytohormones: Structure, Sites of Biosynthesis, and its Effects 192Interaction between Nutrient Availability and Phytohormone Signaling 195Nutrients in Cytokinin (CK) Signaling 197Nutrients in Ethylene (ETH) Signaling 198Nutrients in Auxin Signaling 199Nutrients in Gibberellic Acid (GA) and Abscisic Acid (ABA) Signaling 201Nutrient Availability and Signaling of other Phytohormones 201Jasmonic Acid (JA) 202Brassinosteroids (BR) 202Salicylic Acid (SA) 202Polyamines and Strigolactones 203Transcriptional Interrelation between Nutrient Deprivation and Phytohormones 203Conclusions and Prospects 204Acknowledgments 204References 20412 Nutrients Regulation and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants 209Nikita Bisht, Harshita Joshi, and Puneet Singh ChauhanIntroduction 209How Abiotic Stresses Affect Plants 210Plant’s Response to Abiotic Stress 211Mineral Nutrients in the Alleviation of Abiotic Stress in Plants 213Macronutrients 213Micronutrients 215Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), Mineral Nutrients, and Abiotic Stress 216Conclusion 217Acknowledgments 217References 21913 Nutrient Management and Stress Tolerance in Crops 224Saghir Abbas, Kashif Tanwir, Amna, Muhammad Tariq Javed, and Muhammad Sohail AkramIntroduction 224Implications of Abiotic Stress in Plants 226Salinity Stress 226Drought 227Toxic Metals 228Other Stresses 228Role of Nutrients in Stress Tolerance 229Nitrogen 229Nitrogen Role in Stress Tolerance 230Potassium 230Role of Potassium in Stress Tolerance 231Phosphorus 232Role of Phosphorus in Stress Tolerance 232Calcium 233Role of Calcium Under Stress 233Sulfur 234Role of Sulfur in Stress Tolerance 234Magnesium 234Role of Mg in Stress Tolerance 235Boron 235Role of Boron Under Stress 236Iron 236Role of Iron in Stress 236Zinc 237Role of Zn Under Stress 237Copper 238Role of Copper in Stress Tolerance 238Manganese 238Role of Mn in Stress Tolerance 239Molybdenum 239Molybdenum Role Under Stress 239Conclusion 240References 241Index 253