At the end of the 1970s, when signs of destabilization of forests became visible in Eu rope on a large scale, it soon became obvious that the syndrome called "forest de cline" was caused by a network of interrelated factors of abiotic and biotic origin. All attempts to explain the wide-spread syndrome by a single cause, and there were many of them, failed or can only be regarded as a single mosaic stone in the network of caus es behind the phenomenon. Forest ecosystems are highly complex natural or quasi natural systems, which exhibit different structures and functions and as a conse quence different resilience to internal or external stresses. Moreover, forest ecosys tems have a long history, which means that former impacts may act as predisposing factors for other stresses. The complexity and the different history of forest ecosys tems are two reasons that make it difficult to assess the actual state and future devel opment of forests. But there are two other reasons: one is the large time scale in which forests react, the other is the idiosyncrasy of the reactions on different sites. Due to the slow reaction and the regional complexity of the abiotic environment of forest ecosys tems, a profound analysis of each site and region is necessary to identify the underly ing causes and driving forces when attempting to overcome the destruction of forest ecosystems.

Plant protoplasts have proved to be an excellent tool for in vitro manipu- lations, somatic hybridization, DNA uptake and genetic transformation, and for the induction of somaclonal variation. These studies reflect the far- reaching impact of protoplast alterations for agriculture and forest bio- technology. Taking these aspects into consideration, the series of books on Plant Protoplasts and Genetic Engineering provides a survey of the litera- ture, focusing on recent information and the state of the art in protoplast Plant Protoplasts manipulation and genetic transformation. This book, and Genetic Engineering VI, like the previous five volumes published in 1989,1993, and 1994, is unique in its approach. It comprises 27 chapters dealing with the regeneration of plants from protoplasts, and genetic transformation in various species of Arachis, Bupleurum, Capsella, Dendrobium, Dianthus, Diospyros, Fagopyrum, Festuca, Gentiana, Glycyrrhiza, Gossypium, Hemerocallis, Levisticum, Lonicera, Musa, Physallis, Platanus, Prunus, Saposhnikovia, Solanum, Spinacia, Trititrigia, Tulipa, and Vaccinium; including fruits such as apricot, banana, cranberry, pepino, peach, and plum. This book may be of special interest to advanced students, teachers, and research scientists in the field of plant tissue culture, molecular biology, genetic engineering, plant breeding, and general bio- technology. New Delhi, August 1995 Professor Y. P. S. BAJA] Series Editor Contents Section I Regeneration of Plants from Protoplasts 1. 1 Regeneration of Plants from Protop1asts of Arachis Species (Peanut) Z. LI, R. L. JARRET, and J. W. DEMSKI (With 2 Figures) 1 Introduction ...3 2 Isolation of Pro top lasts ...4 3 Culture of Protoplasts ...

27 chapters cover the distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, micropropagation, tissue culture studies, and in vitro production of important medicinal and other pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Anchusa, Brucea, Catharanthus, Chrysanthemum, Coleus, Corydalis, Coreopsis, Emilia, Ginkgo, Gloriosa, Hypericum, Inonotus, Leucosceptrum, Lilium, Linum, Mosses, Nandina, Penstemon, Prunus, Pteridium, Quassia, Ribes, Senecio, Taraxacum, Thermopsis, Vanilla, and Vitiveria. Like the previous five volumes on medicinal and aromatic plants (Volumes 4, 7, 15, 21, and 24), this book contains a wealth of useful information for advanced students and researchers in the field of plant biotechnology and chemical engineering, pharmacy, botany and tissue culture.

The quality of human life has been maintained and enhanced for generations by the use of trees and their products. In recent years, ever rising human population growth has put tremendous pressure on trees and tree products; growing awareness of the potential of previously unexploited tree resources and environmental pollution have both accelerated development of new technologies for tree propagation, breeding and improvement. Biotechnology of trees may be the answer to solve the problems which cannot be solved by conventional breeding methods. The combination of biotechnology and conventional methods such as plant propagation and breeding may be a novel approach to improving and multiplying in large number the trees and woody plants. So far, plant tissue culture technology has largely been exploited in the propagation of ornamental plants, especially foliage house plants, by com mercial companies. Generally, tissue culture of woody plants has been recal citrant. However, limited success has been achieved in tissue culture of angiosperm and gymnosperm woody plants. A number of recent reports on somatic embryogenesis in woody plants such as Norway spruce (Picea abies), Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), Sandalwood (Santalurn album), Citrus, Mango (Mangifera indica), etc., offer a ray of hope of: a) inexpensive clonal propa gation for large-scale production of plants or "emblings" or "somatic embryo plants," b) protoplast work, c) cryopreservation, d) genetic transformation, and e) artificial or manufactured seed production."

The research that has culminated in the pUblication being introduced . worldwide) save by one or two of this Manual was in the first place undertaken private conifer enthusiasts. My own efforts at 1 for a new edition of the book Manual of Cultivated recording data at Devizes made possible the Conifers by P. den Ouden and Dr B. K. Boom appearance in 1979 of a larger book: Manual of (both now deceased), published in 1965. Dwarf Conifers. That book was clearly in effect The claim in that book to have included every a partial up-dating of the den Ouden and Boom cultivar published since 1753 was not entirely book under revision, so the decision was made realised, and the stated objective, i. e. that the book to produce an entirely new work, with the present should serve as a basis for the international register title and with the following objectives. that was even at that date under consideration required a lot of space to be devoted to quite 1. To bring the taxonomy into line with current archaic information. practice. Each of the authors of the Manual of Cultivated 2. To extend the species descriptions and make them (by the use of side headings) more easy Conifers was well qualified for the task. P. den Ouden had been systematically collecting conifer to use. 3. To supply some form of 'keys'.

Elms occur, both naturally and cultivated, throughout much of the temperate world. Because of their high tolerance to extreme growing conditions and their widespread distribution, elms have been widely planted in cities, towns and rural areas throughout North America and northern Europe. As such, their current demise due to several pandemics of Dutch elm disease has spurred a huge body of research on breeding for disease resistance, conservation and systematics. The Elms: Breeding, Conservation and Disease Management provides the current state of knowledge in these areas and is an important reference work for pathologists, breeders, taxonomists, and arborists.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences.
The present volume includes reviews on genetics, cell biology, physiology, comparative morphology, systematics, ecology, and vegetation science.

Chromosomes. being well-defined structures that are easily vis ible under the optical microscope. readily lend themselves to in tense physical and biochemical study. The understanding of the structure and function of this most critical genetic material has progressed through a number of interesting stages. Often connected with the development of new techniques in staining and photography. using the standard microscope and the electron microscope. It is interesting to look back at the history of cytogenetics. I would like especially to emphasize the work of Karl Sax and many of his students. Work with Tradescantia became feasible after Edgar Anderson straightened out the ecology and Sax took advantage of the small number of chromosomes easily visible under the microscope. As a matter of fact. this development is seen as the foundation for the quantitative analysis of radiation effects on chromosomes. During the 50 years since then.- more refined studies have been initiated. The study of cytogenetic mechanisms has become an important tool for the recognition of the effects of environmental factors on all liv ing systems and has made SCE studies possible. One of the most important stages in chromosome research was the development, in radiation biology, of radiolabeling the chromosome with tritiated thymidine. This technique. published in 1957 by Dr.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has increased globally from about 280 ppm before the Industrial Revolution (Pearman 1988) to about 353 ppm in 1990. That increase, and the continuing increase at a rate of about 1.5 ppm per annum, owing mainly to fossil fuel burning, is likely to cause change in climate, in primary productivity of terrestrial vegetation (managed and unmanaged), and in the degree of net sequestration of atmospheric CO into organic form. The quantitative role 2 of the latter in attenuating the increase in atmospheric CO concentration itself is 2 an important but uncertain element of the global carbon-cycle models that are required to predict future increases of atmospheric CO concentration. 2 In my experience in workshops and other multidisciplinary gatherings, argument arises in discussion of this topic among different groups of scientists such as bioclimatologists, plant physiologists, biogeochemists and ecologists. Plant concentration physiologists are often impressed by the positive effect of higher CO 2 on plant growth under experimental controlled environments and argue that this would be at least partly expressed in the field for many species and communities.

The idea for this book arose in 1993, after the Free State of Bavaria through its Bayrisches Staatsministerium rur Landesentwicklung und Umweltfragen (Bavarian Ministry of Regional Development and the Environment) decided to discontinue both the Bavarian project management (PBWU) for forest decline research and the multidisciplinary field research on the Wank Mountain in the Alps near Garmisch. Forest decline through the action of ozone and other photooxidants was a main topic of the supported re search in the Alps and will be a topic of new investigations in the Bavarian Forest. Many interesting results were obtained, but the researchers involved have not had sufficient time to allow reliable conclusions to be drawn. It was therefore decided to ask inter national experts for contributions in order to summarize the best available evidence of a possible link between ozone and forest decline - a topic which has been studied in the USA since the late 1950s and in Europe since the early 1980s. The original idea of Waldsterben as an irreversible large-scale dieback of forests in Germany was soon recognized to be wrong (Forschungsbeirat 1989). However, the new criteria used for the official German and European damage inventories (loss or yel lowing of needles or leaves, tree morphology) indicate that per sistently high percentages of damaged spruce and pine remain, and there is an increasing percentage of damaged beech and oak, with a high proportion of biotic disease (Forschungsbeirat 1989; UN-ECE 1995).

Recent advances in gene technology, plant transformation, and the growing knowledge of DNA sequences of plants as well as of their most important parasites and symbionts offer many interesting prospects for the breeding of new crop varieties. This was not only recognized by the major seed companies, but also by the governments of developing countries and by worldwide foundations supporting their agriculture. The know-how gained by the seed companies on crops important for the agricultural industry in developed countries could easily be provided for free to the international and national organizations dedicated to development of crops important in the third world. Results obtained worldwide become easily available to everybody through the scientific literature. Likewise, agricultural research in, e.g., the USA or Europe profits from the natural plant gene pool available in the third world. All this definitely provides for the possibility of fast change, new prosperity and security of food supply in the whole world, if properly applied. The fast development also asks for ethical and sociopolitical considerations, whereby not doing the right can be as much a mistake as doing the wrong.

Science is essentially a descriptive and experimental device. It observes nature, constructs hypotheses, plans experiments and proposes theories. The theory is never contemplated as the 'final truth', but remains ever subject to modifications, changes and rejections. The science of allelopathy in a similar way has emerged, and exists on a similar footing; our endeavour should be to keep it fresh and innovative with addition of newer in formation and concepts with the rejection of older ideas and antiquated techniques. During the past few decades encouraging results have been obtained in various aspects of allelopathic researches. However, in addition to continuing efforts in all these directions, constant attempts are to be made to describe the mechanics of allelopathic activity in molecular terms and to discover ways and means to exploit it for the welfare of mankind. We feel that multidisciplinary efforts are the only tool to achieve this goal. It is the hope of the editors that this book will serve as a document which identifies an integrated approach, through which research both to understand and exploit allelopathy can be conducted. The present volume arose out of an attempt to bring together eminent scientists in allelopathy to describe their work, of a highly diverse nature, under one title."

However, the transition from primitive to 'advanced' cultivars has had the effect of narrowing the genetic base. This has happened in two distinct ways: (1) selection for relative uniformity, resulting in 'pure' lines, multi lines, single or double hybrids, etc.; and (2) selection for closely defined objectives. Both of these processes have resulted in a marked reduction in genetic variation. At the same time, there has been a tendency to restrict the gene pool from which parental material has been drawn. This is a result of the high level of productivity achieved when breeding within a restricted but well-adapted gene pool, and of breeding methods which have made it possible to introduce specifically desired improvements, such as disease resistance and quality characteristics, into breeding stocks with a minimum of disturbance to genotypic structure. Developments in agriculture, such as intensive mechanization, the widespread application of fertilizers and the use of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, have created a situation whereby a few, selected high yielding cultivars may be grown over large parts of the earth, so further contributing to a decline in crop genetic diversity. This process is under way in all countries, both developed and developing, and unfortunately in cludes some of the richest primary and secondary gene centres of several important food crops."

Over the past decade the importance of natural resources for sustainable agricultural development has been increasingly discussed at international forums and conferences. Aside from the sustainable management of soil, water, and air, it now seems to be accepted that the sustainable management of genetic resources is one of the four indispensable preconditions for a sustainable agriculture. The discussion on conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), however, has to reflect the costs of conservation as well. These have not yet been discussed intensively. The study analyzes the conservation costs of plant genetic resources; it also assesses the effectiveness of conservation and the efficiency of the different conservation instruments. It is based on extensive surveys in relevant countries. Following the detailed cost and impact analysis, the results show that the effectiveness of conservation strategies may be increased.

Towards the Balance and Management of the Carbon Budget of the Biosphere The current state of misunderstanding of the global C cycle and our failure to resolve an issue that has been debated for 100 years (Jones and Henderson-Sellers, 1990) speaks loudly about the limitations of modem science when faced with the complexity of the biosphere. Efforts to understand and balance the global C budget have gone through several phases. First was a holistic view of the C budget as part of efforts to understand the geochemistry of the Earth (e. g. , Clarke, 1908). Next, came a period of data collection and sythesis which focused on the diversity of sectors of the biosphere. This phase culminated in the early 1970's with the realization that humans were greatly impacting the global C cycle as measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory (Keeling et al. , 1973). New syntheses of the global C budget emerged at this time (Woodwell and Pacan, 1973; Bolin et al. , 1979). The next phase was one of controversy and intense focus on particular sectors of the biosphere. The controversy rested on discrepancies about the role of the terrestrial biota in the global C cycle and the failure to account for sufficient C sinks to absorb all the C emitted by land-use change in the tropics (Woodwell et al. , 1978, 1983; Houghton et al. , 1983).

Agrochemical products and adjuvants are of vital importance in agriculture, to protect food and fibre crops from weeds, insect pests and diseases, in order to feed and clothe the growing world population. In recent years there have been increasing pressures to produce agrochemical formulations which have a lower environmental impact and are safer in use. Enormous changes have taken place in the chemistry and technology of agrochemicals over the last twenty years or so and this book provides a timely review of the most important area of technology in the development of new products. This book covers issues around international product quality and safety standards and describes the current and likely future trends which will carry the industry forward into the next millennium. It brings together well known international experts with many years of practical experience from agrochemical companies, consultancies, academic institutions and regulatory bodies. Chemists and technologists involved in developing new or improved agrochemical formulations will find this book an essential reference in the course of their work. The book will also be of interest to those working in research and development departments of raw material suppliers, as a concise review of this important field.

In the last few decades there has been an ever-increasing component in most BSc Zoology degree courses of cell biology, physiology and genetics, for spectacular developments have taken place in these fields. Some aspects of biotechnology are now also being included. In order to accommodate the new material, the old zoology courses were altered and the traditional two-year basis of systematics of the animal kingdom, comparative anatomy (and physiology) and evolution, was either severely trimmed or reduced and presented in an abridged form under another title. Soon after these course alterations came the swing to modular teaching in the form of a series of shorter, separate courses, some of which were optional. The entire BSc degree course took on a different appearance and several different basic themes became possible. One major result was that in the great majority of cases taxonomy and systematics were no longer taught and biology students graduated without this basic training. We field biologists did appreciate the rising interest in ecology and environ mental studies, but at the same time lamented the shortage of taxonomic skills, so that often field work was based on incorrect identifications. For years many of us with taxonomic inclinations have been bedevilled by the problem of teaching systematics to undergraduates. At a guess, maybe only 5% of students find systematics interesting. It is, however, the very basis of all studies in biology - the correct identification of the organism concerned and its relationships to others in the community."

Genetic Engineering, Volume 24 contains discussions of contemporary and relevant topics in genetics, including: -Gene silencing: principles and applications, -Integrins and the myocardium, -Plant virus gene vectors: biotechnology and applications in agriculture and medicine, -Novel approaches to controlling transcription, -Use of DNA polymorphisms in genetic mapping, -Application of FLP/FRT site-specific DNA recombination system in plants. This principles and methods approach to genetics and genetic engineering is essential reading for all academics, bench scientists, and industry professionals wishing to take advantage of the latest and greatest in this continuously emerging field.

This book presents the full text volume of the IUFRO (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations) Conference on Environmental Forest Science which was held in Kyoto, Japan on 19-23 October 1998. The conference was organized by IUFRO Division 8 Forest Environment and Kyoto University. Forests as environment for mankind as well as environment of forests per se are increasingly important in progress of current urbanization and regional development. The objective of this conference is to integrate many fields of related sciences to a new concept of environmental forest science, which will be developing and promising in the 21st Century. The book consists of sixty nine papers covering forests as environment from various aspects, forest ecosystems & biodiversity, forest hydrology, natural disasters (landslides and debris flows et al) in mountains and their reduction. The publication will be of value to foresters, ecologists, hydrologists, landslide engineers and policy makers related to environments.

Mangrove ecosystems are being increasingly threatened by human activities. Their biotic productivity supplies food and other resources to the human populations that inhabit or make use of them. This volume highlights the results of a ten-year German / Brazilian research project, called MADAM, in one of the largest continuous mangrove areas of the world, located in northern Brazil. Based on the analysis of the ecosystem dynamics, management strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of mangroves are presented and discussed. Beyond the scientific results, this book also provides guidelines for the development of international cooperation projects.

If I had to nominate an area of food production in which science has played a major role in addressing product quality to meet market needs I would not pass by the intimate rela tionship of cereaI chemistry with cereaI plant breeding programs. In Australia, cereaI chemistry and product quality labs ha ve long been associated with wheat and barley breeding programs. Grain quality characteristics have been principal factors determining registration of new cultivars. This has not been without pain in Australia. On the one hand some cultivars with promising yield and agronomic characteristics have been rejected on the basis of quality characteristics, and for a period our breeders imposed selection regimes based on yield which resulted in declining quality characteristics. In the end the market provides the critic al signals. For many years Australia held a commanding market position on the basis of a single quality image, initiaHy based on bulked wheat of fair/average quality (FAQ). Later this was improved by segregation into four broad classes* based around Australian Standard White (ASW). This is no longer a viable marketing strategy. We were probably a little slow in rec ognising the mosaic of present day wheat markets, but now have up to 18 different grades available. Around the world wheat is a grain with many end uses. Its use in bread is expanding."

Following the demise of the MAFF's Perma some leaflets to fill outstanding gaps. The nent Leaflet Series in 1985, it was suggested content of three leaflets has been altered more that the final editions of the crop pest advisory extensively. Thus, Chafer grubs (Chapter 32) leaflets should be produced in a bound volume now incorporates material from Leaflet 449, for the benefit of future agricultural entomolo Japanese beetle, which has been omitted from gists and others interested in crop pests. This this collection as this pest has not become idea originated outside MAFF but was enthusi established in Europe. Nematodes on straw astically supported by entomologists in MAFF, berry (Chapter 81) has been enlarged by the the agricultural research institutes and the uni addition of further information on free-living versities. As editor of the leaflets from 1965 nematodes from the plant pathology leaflet on until 1985, I offered to undertake the task of Soil-borne virus diseases of fruit plants. The compilation and editing, and this offer was joint plant pathology/entomology leaflet on accepted. Raspberry cane blight and midge blight has To prevent the book from becoming quickly been included, but the information has been outdated, the sections on control measures mainly restricted to raspberry cane midge and have been redrafted by the Advisory Entomol the title changed accordingly.

This book provides a comprehensive, global synthesis of current knowledge on the potential and challenges associated with the multiple roles, use, management and marketing of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). There has been considerable research and policy effort surrounding NTFPs over the last two and half decades. The book explores the evolution of sentiments regarding the potential of NTFPs in promoting options for sustainable multi-purpose forest management, income generation and poverty alleviation. Based on a critical analysis of the debates and discourses it employs a systematic approach to present a balanced and realistic perspective on the benefits and challenges associated with NTFP use and management within local livelihoods and landscapes, supported with case examples from both the southern and northern hemispheres. This book covers the social, economic and ecological dimensions of NTFPs and closes with an examination of future prospects and research directions.

th We compiled this volume mostly from presentations at the 6 International Plant Cold Hardiness Seminar (PCHS) after consulting with Professor Tony H. H. Chen, Oregon State University, USA, Professor Pekka Heino, University of Helsinki, Finland, th and Dr. Gareth J. Warren, University of London, Surrey, UK. The 6 International PCHS was held at the Unitas Congress Center, Helsinki, Finland from July 1-5, 2001. There were 110 registered scientists at the serttinar representing 20 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Gennany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States of America. The infonnation compiled represents the state of the art of research in phmt cold hardiness in tenns of gene regulation, gene expression, signal transduction, the physiology of cold hardiness and, ultimately, the genetic engineering for cold tolerant plants. The International PCHS was initiated in 1977 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota. It has been traditionally held at 5-year intervals at various locations. th Because of the rapid advances of research in plant cold hardiness, attendees at the 6 meeting unanimously adopted a resolution to hold the seminar in 3-year intervals instead of 5 in the future. Consequently, the next seminar will be held in 2004 in Sapporo, Japan, and Professor Seizo Fujikawa from Hokkaido University will serve as the host.

World of Unstable Mutations The book "Triplet Repeat Diseases of the Nervous System" overviews the lat est data on several disorders associated with unstable mutations. This field of re search is progressing extremely fast. The number of polymorphic mutations and diseases caused by these mutations is increasing almost every month. There is a strong interest to molecular bases of triplet repeat disorders. This is explained by growing necessity to develop molecular approaches for cure of these diseases. There fore, the authors of this book describe unstable mutations with the emphasis on molecular pathology. Broad discussion is presented on how polymorphic expan sions cause cell dysfunction. o The first chapter of the book focuses on the molecular pathological pro cesses that originate "unstable" mutations. The authors review several avail able models by which normal "stable" region of DNA become pathogenic and discuss possible mechanisms causing DNA instability. o The other chapters of the book describe inherited diseases associated with different types of unstable mutations. Based on the location of mutation in the disease gene, polymorphic expansions of the nervous system can be divided into two major groups. First group includes disorders with unstable expansions within the open reading frame of the gene such as Spinocer ebellar Ataxias caused by polyglutamine expansions. The second group in cludes diseases caused by expansions situated within the untranslated re gions of the gene.