The first phase of growth and development is germination of the seed and establishment of the seedling. The seed is the vehicle by which genetic information passes from parent to progeny. It is also an organ of multiplication, dispersal and survival during favourable periods. A detailed account of this process is given in the chapter on ‘Seed and Seedling.’ The chapter on ‘Vegetative Plant’ describes the growth and development of the root and shoot system. Roots account for a larger proportion of the plant’s dry weight than is commonly realised. Just as the root grows by meristematic activity at its tip so does the shoot but in a rather different way. Flowering, fruiting and seeding are the means by which angiosperm plants carry out sexual reproduction. This is described in detail in chapter 3. Environmental effects and internal programming of development are described in chapter 4. Detailed account of natural plant hormones–the growth regulators– and importance of interactions between different types of hormones in stem elongation, apical dominance, root initiation, senescence and abscission and dormancy are given. Progress in plant agricultural depends to a great extent on an ability to select the husbandry measures and inherited plant characters which give the best crops. This is described in the last chapter ‘Plant, variation, inheritance and breeding’. This book is meant for students, teachers and researchers of botany, agriculture and biotechnology who desire to understand the subject thoroughly.
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