ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION The responses of plants and crops to environmental stresses generally involve some alteration in protein synthesis. Protein-based responses include qualitative changes in general protein synthesis or the up-or down-regulation of specific proteins. These changes depend on the nature, duration, and severity of the stress. The primary focus of this chapter will be on proteins that are induced or increase in abundance in response to an environmental stress. Although decreases of specific proteins can be physiologically significant, most research has centered on inducible proteins on the assumption that they confer some protection to the organism that leads to increased survival.
