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Book Reviews EditorP.K. McEwenSchool of Pure and Applied BiologyUniversity of WalesPO Box 915Cardiff CR1 3TL, UK

BOOK REVIEWS

Crop Sciences: Recent Advances co-publishedsimultaneously as Journal of Crop Production, Volume 1Number 1 Edited by A S Basra, The Food ProductsPress, The Hawthorn Press Inc., 10 Alice Street,Binghamton, N.Y., USA. 1998 357 pp US$29.95elsewhere $36 ISBN 1-56022-060-0

In terms of its contents, this book is truly international. Thecontributing authors have been drawn from six countries, asfar apart as the USA, Europe and India. The fact that thedifferent chapters are by authors from both developed anddeveloping countries provides this journal with a refresh-ingly different outlook to the majority of journals coveringsimilar subject matter. The 13 chapters cover an equallybroad range of agricultural subjects including `Deepeningthe Wheat Gene Pool', `Microsatellite Markers for Mole-cular Breeding', `Allelopathy and Sustainable Developmentin China'.

Each of the comprehensive chapters begins with aninformative `summary' which I would recommend thereader uses to pinpoint those chapters which may requirefurther investigation. Each chapter ends with a seeminglyendless reference list which would be ideal for any readerwishing to become more engrossed in the particularsubject area.

Taken as a whole such a complex and far rangingjournal is always hard work, however, I found that mymain problem was where to start? I chose to start on thosechapters covering areas of which I knew relatively little,for instance I started to read the chapter `Allelopathy andits Implications in Agroecosystems' with no idea as towhat Allelopathy was. I ®nished it, wanting to know moreand then found myself wondering why I had not comeacross this complex subject before. Obviously, this area isnot fashionable in the developed world philosophy of largescale monoculture. Similarly the chapter on `Weed SeedBank Dynamics: Implications to Weed Management' wasjust as informative and surprising, covering among othersubjects; `Seed Bank Dynamics', `Seed losses' and`Tillage systems'.

Turning to those chapters which were more in tune with

my expertise, I was again pleasantly surprised, forinstance, the chapters on `Deepening the Wheat GenePool' introduced me to techniques which I had not knownexisted and which all molecular biologists should be madeto study before embarking on rather more exotictechnologies to achieve things which could be achievedusing relatively simple technologies available to developedand developing countries alike. That said, the chapters on`Microsatellite Markers for Molecular Breeding' and`Mechanisms of Heterosis in Crop Plants' do highlightthe impact that biotechnology is having and will continueto have on agriculture and agroecology.

The chapter on microsatellites is particularly informativecovering almost the entire subject matter including `ABrief Survey', `Oligonucleotide Fingerprinting', `Micro-satellite-Primed PCR', `Random Ampli®ed PolymorphicMicrosatellites' and `Locus-Speci®c Microsatellite Analy-sis'. I had one criticism here; the acronyms come thickand fast, but often they do not represent the most up todate use of the acronym. I suppose that this is to beexpected in a journal that may have taken at least a coupleof years to bring together, but the unwary should be madeaware that they are reading out of date information. Thiscould be a problem especially for students.

From my own point of view it would have beeninteresting to see an extra one or two chapters on therecent developments in rice and maize breeding, but this isa small omission which can easily be forgiven, given thedepth in which the included subjects are covered.

In summary this is an excellent journal for both studentswishing to cover a particular subject in depth and those ofus who are somewhat more advanced in years and who arejust happy to keep up with recent developments. I for onewill be recommending that my institute's library purchasesa copy.

Dr Keith EdwardsIACR ± Long Ashton Research Station

Bristol, UK

Integrated Pest Management for Citrus in NorthernMediterranean Countries. P Katsoyannos. BenakiPhytopathological Institute, Athens 1996 100 pp, softback US$40 ISBN 960-00-1002-1

Increased cultivation of citrus in many countries since theSecond World War has led to the development of many pestproblems, and stimulated the development of new andincreasingly effective approaches to manage these. Somestudies on citrus are among the classics of biologicalcontrol ± starting with the use of the vedalia beetle

Integrated Pest Management Reviews 3, 189±190 (1998)

1353±5226 # 1998 Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

(Rodolia cardinalis) to control cottony-cushion scale(Icerya purchasi) in California in the 1880s. Yet, whereasany pests of citrus are widespread, the present book is ofmuch wider interest than its title might imply, the particularcomplex and the relative predominance of the major playershave strong regional differences. Dr Katsoyannos hasprovided an excellent survey of citrus entomology in thenorthern Mediterranean region, based soundly on his ownstudies in Greece. The book bears the stamp of anexperienced practitioner, and includes information gleanedfrom the global literature; with nearly 400 references cited,the bibliography itself is a valuable resource for studentsand researchers in this ®eld.

The book comprises ®ve main chapters, some of themshort. A brief account of the history of citrus in cultivationis followed by a treatment of the main insect pests. Morethan 60 species of insects and mites are included in thegamut of pests in the region. The main insects, 25 in all,are noted and the most signi®cant ones discussedseparately with notes to facilitate their recognition, detailsof their life histories and biology, and on their economicimportance. Most are illustrated by clear colour photo-graphs (many of living insects), invaluable as recognitionaids for growers and entomologists alike. The informationprovided is accurate and clearly referenced, and thischapter is a valuable synopsis of the insect agents causingdamage to citrus in the region.

The third chapter reviews the current status of citruspest control. Citrus is the main agricultural crop in thenorthern Mediterranean to have bene®ted from classicalbiological control projects, with more than 30 species ofexotic natural enemies introduced during this century.These are documented in the next chapter, which parallelschapter two by providing details and photographs of allmajor insect natural enemies in the system, and theirhistory in the region. This chapter also discusses thestrategies of IPM and biological control in simple termsand moves to a discussion and identi®cation guide of the

naturally occurring predators and parasitoids in the citrussystem. Some of these are subjects for augmentationprogrammes. Notes on microbial control, sampling andmonitoring for pests and natural enemies, treatmentapplication thresholds, selective pesticides and methodssuch as pheromones and sterile insect releases demonstratethe fuller parameters of citrus IPM. These topics areintegrated in the ®nal chapter, which comprises a series of`recommended IPM strategies' against selected majorcitrus insect pests.

These activities are summarised as tables of activitiesfor each season, with means of monitoring, criteria forassessing needs for management, major treatments recom-mended, and any accessory treatments noted. Theseschemes may be adapted for use elsewhere, with dueconsideration, and the accompanying text enlarges on therationales. The extensive practical advice is very useful,but reading of the earlier chapters in conjunction with thiswill help to remove some possible ambiguities.

A short concluding statement emphasises that biologicalcontrol remains the cornerstone of citrus IPM in theMediterranean area, and urges the establishment of trainingprojects.

The book is excellently produced, clear and easy to read,and in an attractive large format. The quality of thephotographs is unusually high, and I found no mistakes ofany signi®cance. Proof-reading has been thorough and thebook will surely become an essential working tool forentomologists dealing with citrus pests in the region andseeking a modern perspective of the control measuresavailable.

Dr Tim R NewLa Trobe University

BundooraVictoria 3083

Australia

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