Who would be much closer to plants than a man living in the closer vicinity of the nature. This closeness becomes more intense when this beautiful book comes from an Indian author, lecturer and research writer. Dr. Rishikesh Upadhyay who is popular as R K Upadhyay. He was formerly a research fellow of Assam University. He is currently teaching at Haflong Government College, affiliated with the same university. THE SECRET OF PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT by Rishikesh Upadhyay is a wonderful book for all those who want to know more about plants and environment and to get closer to nature in a very distinct manner. You might find it as a text book with a lot of illustrations, references, and indexes at the end. That itself shows how much research work and of what level of depth has gone into writing this book.
We all know plants are immobile. We also know very well CHANGE is a constant phenomenon in nature, surroundings, and atmosphere. Some of these changes could be sweet, while others could be harsh. As a human being we can move from one place to another if the change is adverse and unbearable. What about plants? They also keep facing similar kind of good and bad changes. How do they adjust? How do they manage to overcome the adversities to stay alive, survive, and sustain regular growth? Adverse changes get plants stressed and hamper their normal growth. THE SECRET OF PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT by Rishikesh Upadhyay focuses on the impact of environmental changes that cause stress on plant life. In turn, how plants respond and adapt the most feasible alternatives. This is an excellent book on environmental stress physiology. A must read for everyone, I must say.
Some of the key environmental changes or stressors that are discussed in THE SECRET OF PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT by Rishikesh Upadhyay are magnetic fields, electric stimulus, biotic stress, drought, mechanical stress, chemical agents, flash-flooding, water logging, freezing, high salinity, pollution, heavy metal stress, temperature fluctuations, mechanical stress, submergence, biotic stress, mineral nutrients, radiation stress, heat, and light stress.
These are just two of the fabulous posts from THE SECRET OF PLANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT by Rishikesh Upadhyay. There're a lot more. One each at the beginning of the 17 chapters.hui
This plant represents what’s happening inside of you. The world, like the soil, is cold and dark - layered with a history of destruction and death. You were planted in this world to rise above it. Do you not see? The very existence of this darkness gives you the opportunity to become a light to the world.– Seth Adam Smith, “Rip Van Winkle and the Pumpkin Lantern”
All human affairs follow nature’s greata nalogue, the growth of vegetation. There are three periods of growth in every plant. The first, and slowest, is the invisible growth by the root; the second and much accelerated is the visible growth by the stem; but when root and stem have gathered their forces, there comes the third period, in which the plant quickly flashes into blossom and rushes into fruit. The beginnings of moral enterprises in this world are never to be measured by any apparent growth... At length comes the sudden ripeness and the full success, and he who is called in at the final moment deems this success his own. He is but the reaper and not the labourer. Other men sowed and tilled and he but enters into their labours.
— Henry Ward Beecher, “Life Thoughts”
Here’s an excerpt from the book :
Temperature fluctuations strongly influence plant growth and biomass formation. In nature, the upper part of the plant is exposed to the temperature of the air, while the root underground is exposed to a very different temperature. A sudden variation in temperature often acts as an excitatory shock to plants, which gives rise to sudden fluctuations in growth. It changes or amends the plasma membrane, ultimately changing its structural and functional aspects and the expression of genes. A deviation from average temperature conditions causes a destabilization of the metabolic processes of plant species. When exposed to stresses caused by various factors, including heavy metals, temperature or high salt levels, the balance is altered, leading to a series of changes in metabolic processes related to stress acclimation, development, or programmed cell death.
Here's another excerpt:
Plant responses to increased UV radiation may vary. However, many plants have developed protective mechanisms, such as molecular UV filters, free radical quenchers, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA repair systems, to cope with excess UV stress (Caldwell et al. 2003).
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