Survival Strategies and Plant Intelligence

Traditionally, intelligence is associated with the brain; until recently, our understanding of intelligence in plants was limited. However, there is a paradigm shift in the traditional perception: intelligence is now defined as how quickly and efficiently an organism adapts to its surroundings. Plants are good examples here, because they constantly respond and adapt to their surroundings. This book is a comprehensive study of the scientific literature on intelligent survival strategies of plants.

Features:

• Provides a scientific basis for the intelligent survival strategies by plants under the changing environment
• Book content is substantiated with examples of intelligent behavior in plants
• Comparative account of intelligent behavior in plants with that in animals is also discussed
• Brief information about some of the scientists working in this field is included

The book will serve as a reference book for undergraduate students interested in an introduction to the subject of plant intelligence. It will also open up a reservoir of information for post-graduate students, teachers, and researchers by providing insight into this new emerging concept of plant intelligence. The book discusses the theoretical and experimental aspects of mechanisms for understanding plant perception and signaling that further demonstrates purposeful behavior and the active decisions made by plants.

Manju A. Lal obtained her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute at New Delhi in 1976. After teaching undergraduates for more than two decades, she superannuated in December 2017 as Associate Professor from the Department of Botany, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. She has co-authored a book on ’Plant Physiology, Development and Metabolism’.

Ratnum Kaul Wattal (Ph.D., 1987, University of Delhi) retired in 2023 as Professor, Department of Botany, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi, with a career spanning over three decades. Her primary research areas include enzyme purification, characterization, and regulation. She has widely published in national and international journals and edited books. She was awarded the Women Achievers Award (2014) by the National Commission for Women for her work on the Yamuna River.

Renu Kathpalia, Department of Botany, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, pursued her academic career at the University of Delhi, specializing in plant tissue culture and analysis of somaclonal variation. She has been teaching Plant Physiology, Plant Metabolism and Biochemistry, Genetics, and Cell Biology for more than three decades. Currently, she is teaching Intelligent Systems in Plants and Hydroponics. She has international and national research publications, three books, and chapters in edited books to her credit.

Vibha Gulyani Checker (Ph.D., 2011, University of Delhi) has been working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi for 14 years. Her research work includes Mulberry Genomics, gene function identification, and allele mining for abiotic stress tolerance. She has several scientific research publications in international and national journals and book chapters to her credit.