PLANT BIOPHYSICS - Y. I. Posudin - 2004

INTRODUCTION

The branch of science that investigates physical processes within the "plant-soil-atmosphere" system, and develops scientific foundations, Methods, and tools for managing the productivity of agro-ecological systems to enhance the efficiency of agriculture and crop production, is referred to as agrophysics. The object of study in agrophysics is the "plant-soil-air" system, in which the plant plays the primary role (in agriculture, agricultural lands whose yield is of practical interest); the remaining elements of this system (the ROOT-inhabited soil layer and the surface air layer) are important as the habitat of the plant.

The constituent divisions of agrophysics include plant biophysics, soil physics, and the physics of the surface air layer, along with Methods for Assessing the quality of crop production. Each section examines the fundamental physical processes occurring within the "plant-soil-atmosphere" system as well as agrophysical METHODS FOR STUDYING the elements of this system.

The textbook "Plant Physics" (Plant Biophysics) is dedicated to The Study of the mechanical, hydrodynamic, thermophysical, electrical, and Optical Properties of plants. The textbook is based on METABOLISM/2.html">THE CONCEPT OF transport phenomena—irreversible processes vital to plant functioning, whereby the spatial transport of mass, energy, momentum, electrical charge, and other physical quantities takes place within the plant. This approach makes it possible to integrate all biophysically driven processes occurring in the plant during its interaction with the environment into a cohesive whole.

Mass exchange may occur through The transport of Water, dissolved nutrients, gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen), and particulate matter. Energy can be transferred via radiation, convection, thermal conduction, and Transpiration. Momentum transport within the boundary layer near The surface of plant leaves is also significant, as it can influence plant canopies. Electrical transport enables plants to achieve electrical communication across virtually all distances from The Root System to the apex and to respond to various external stimuli. The effects of external physical factors on plants are also discussed.

Special attention is given to modern methods and instruments used to investigate biophysical processes in plants across various Levels of Organization—from the MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR levels to the level of organisms and populations.

Each section of the textbook contains practical or numerical Examples with solutions to help the reader master the material presented.

The textbook is intended for students of higher educational institutions of levels III–IV of accreditation.

The author expresses sincere gratitude to Professor E. G. Popov, HEAD of the Department of Physics at Dnipropetrovsk State Agrarian University, for his critical feedback, which helped improve the content of the textbook.