**Plant Integrity – The Important Factor of Adaptability to Stress Conditions**

Ladislav Bláha and Tomáš Středa

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/62306

#### **Abstract**

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Crop production, research of crop productivity, tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, plant disease, and pests all represent the problem of plant integrity. Plants represent an integrated system of units, which are responsible for its resistance to adverse environ‐ mental conditions on the basis of the evaluation of characteristics both aboveground and in the roots. This "complete unit" (root and shoot) has an influence on the formation of seeds, the quality of which may affect subsequent growth, development, and stress toler‐ ance of the filial generation. Properties of the roots predominantly influence (especially at drought stress conditions) growth, development, and the metabolic processes in the aboveground part of the plant. The seed traits affect the filial generation root morphology at the beginning of the vegetation period (especially length, surface, depth of root pene‐ tration, and also root weight). In the biology of the seeds, roots, yield formation, stress tolerance, etc., attention needs to be paid to plant integrity and adaptability during varia‐ ble environmental conditions. Every plant, and its traits, is a result of all the plant's activ‐ ities. This is important for plant breeding. For example, it is possible to provide selection for cultivar traits at seed germination. Quality of the embryonic traits is important for subsequent growth and development. In the juvenile phase, and in later stages, the same genotype is still active. This is is among the main reasons for studying plant integrity.

**Keywords:** Plant integrity, abiotic stress, crop production, weather variability, seeds, roots
