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entrapment, temperature effects on viscosity, soil-plate contact, edge effects, swelling..."

Campbell's book provides the wherewithal for the reader to delve into the major aspects of current soil physics. He, or she, can explore the consequences of soil properties and boundary conditions on transport in the soil-plant sys- tem. This can, as Campbell notes, be done without necessarily understanding how the equations are derived, or how other mathematical solutions might be obtained. The user of Soil Physics with B A S I C can therefore computer-exper- iment and so derive a feeling for the workings of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. In this regard the book will be very successful.

However, there must always be a cabal of soil physicists who are trained to worry about the esoteric mathematical aspects of transport equations. This book will not appeal to them. But this book will be of great value to that much larger group of scientists who encounter transport problems in their respective fields of soil, plant or engineering sciences. It is to Campbell's credit that despite being a member of the former group, he has the evangelical zeal to take soil physics beyond the confines of the Greek alphabet. This renders useable to a wider range of scientists, and particularly scientists-in-training.

The aphorism that "God made physics hard, not Willard Gardner" is recounted in the preface of this book. Maybe we can now add the corollary, "...Gaylon Campbell has softened the blow."

BRENT CLOTHIER Plant Physiology Division, DSIR Palmerston North, New Zealand

SOIL PHYSICS AND RICE

Soil Physics and Rice. International Rice Research Institute, Manila, The Phil- lippines, 1985. 430 pp., softcover, US$16.70 for developed countries/US$5.00 developing countries. ISBN 971-104-146-4.

Rice continues to be an important cereal crop in numerous countries. Any knowledge that will bring improvement in the rice production system is, there- fore, very valuable. The present publication is a step in this direction. It is the proceedings of a workshop held at the International Rice Research Institute in December 1984, and contains 26 papers, 19 poster abstracts and recommen- dations for future research, training and coordination of programmes. The papers relate to a wide variety of subjects concerning soil and water manage- ment in rice cultivation. They include topics such as the physical properties of

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soils affecting the rice-based cropping systems, the hydrology of rice lands, drainage aspects, simulation models, tillage implements, water-use efficiency, etc. It would have been appropriate if the original title of the workshop, namely, 'Physical Aspects of Soil Management in Rice Based Cropping Systems' had been retained for this publication as well; the book contains much more than soil physics.

Considering the recent date of the workshop and the publication date, it is commendable that the proceedings have been brought out in such a short time. The papers included are very well written, covering the subject adequately and they provide enough references for the research worker. The recommendations made are precise and useful. However, the reader is not able to get much infor- mation from the poster abstracts. The inclusion of some of the tables or graphs presented in the poster sessions would have been useful. This publication is recommended to all scientists and engineers involved in the management of soil and water for rice cultivation.

V.V.N. MURTY Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University

Ludhiana 141-004, India

IRRIGATION WITH RECLAIMED MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER

Irrigation with Reclaimed Municipal Wastewater - A Guidance Manual. G.S. Pettygrove and T. Asano (Editors). Lewis Publishers, London, 1986. 518 pp., £32.15. ISBN 0-87371-061-4.

This manual is intended for use in the planning, design and operation of irrigation systems using reclaimed municipal wastewater. The focus is clearly on conditions in California, but the information provided is generally appli- cable to other arid- and semi-arid environments. Emphasis in the manual is on the beneficial use of reclaimed wastewater for agricultural and landscape irrigation, stressing optimization of crop production. Limitations on the use of reclaimed municipal wastewater for agricultural irrigation and the relevant economic and legal aspects are also discussed, illustrating the broad scope of the book which should be attractive to e~gineers, hydrologists, soil scientists and consultants. This manual is the result of a cooperative effort among the University of California at Davis, the California State Water Resources Con- trol Board, and other agencies and consultants, and represents the collective effort of 27 authors and several staff members over a period of 2½ years.