Modern Methods of Plant Analysis When the handbook Modern Methods of Plant Analysis, was first introduced in 1954, the considerations were: 1. the dependence of scientific progress in biology on the improvement of existing and the introduction of new methods; - 2. the difficulty in finding many new analytical methods in specialized journals which are normally not accessible to experimental plant biologists; 3. the fact that in the methods sections of papers the description of methods is frequently so compact, or even sometimes to incomplete, that it is difficult to reproduce experiments. These considerations still stand today. The series was highly successful, seven volumes appearing between 1956 and 1964. Since there is still today a demand for the old series, the publisher has decided to resume publication of Modern Methods of Plant Analysis. It is hoped that the New Series will be just as acceptable to those working in plant sciences and related fields as the early volumes undoubtedly were. It is difficult to single out the major reasons for the success of any publication, but we believe that the methods published in the first series were up-to-date at the time and presented in a way that made description, as applied to plant material, complete in itself with little need to consult other publications. Contribution authors have attempted to follow these guidelines in this New Series of volumes. Editorial The earlier series of Modern Methods of Plant Analysis was initiated by Michel v.

Preservation of nature and the environment has become one of the most important issues of the end of the twentieth century. It has become evident that the methods used for industrial and agricultural production in many countries produce pollutants that cannot undergo natural neutralization by entering the atmosphere, soil or water. Ecosystems that have been developing for centuries are undergoing degradation and what is even more regrettable is that there is an actual threat of profound disorder in the biosphere which could lead to heavy and irreversible changes. Fluorine derivatives are the most aggressive among toxic compounds polluting the atmosphere. Moreover, the percentage of fluorides in industrial emissions is constantly increasing with the bulk of fluorides being emitted by aluminium smelters. Fluorine is poorly detoxified by both plants and animals and the accumulation of even relatively low concentrations over a long period causes a cumulative toxic effect. Among woody plants conifers are less resistant to fluorine. Fluorine derivatives as phytopollutants have been studied less than sulphur compounds, nitrogen oxides, chlorine and hydrogen chloride. It was not until the late 1960s when there was a rapid decline of coniferous forests that researchers directed their attention towards phyto toxic properties of fluorides."

Plants are a major source of medicines, flavors, fragrances, and various pharmaceutical and industrial products. Biotechnology is being put to the service for mass clonal propagation of plants, and to produce impor- tant secondary products in cell cultures. In some cases cell cultures ac- cumulate higher amounts of products than the intact plant cells in situ, and such cultures can be stored through immobilization and cryopreser- vation. An in vitro-produced anti-inflammatory drug, shikonin, has been commercialized, and the recent observations on the increased pro- duction of atropine and hyoscyamine by Agrobacterium rhizogenes- mediated transformed "hairy roots" have encouraged the acceptance of such biotechnologies by the pharmaceutical industry. In an earlier volume, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants I, various aspects of in-vitro culture of cells, bioreactors, micropropagation, im- mobilization, and cryopreservation were discussed. The present volume concerns the application of these biotechnologies to 29 genera of medicinal and aromatic plants. It deals with the distribution, economic importance, conventional propagation, micro propagation, review of tissue culture studies, and the in-vitro production of important medicinal and pharmaceutical compounds in various species of Angelica, Anisodus, Basel/a, Bupleurum, Camellia, Co ix, Coptis, Cryp- tomeria, Datura, Dioscorea, Foeniculum, Gardenia, Geigeria, Heimia, Humulus, Hyoscyamus, Jasminum, Macleaya, Mucuna, Nicotiana, Pimpinel/a, Rauwolfia, Ruta, Salvia, So/anum, Saponaria, Stevia, Tabernaemontana, and Zingiber. The potential role of biotechnology for industrial production is discussed. Biotechnology enables the production and isolation of products of higher purity and also opens the possibility of making desired molecular alterations in products.

Nitrogen is a key element in ecosystem processes. Aspects of local and global changes in nitrogen in both undisturbed and disturbed conditions are discussed. Environmental changes caused by pollution from nitrogenous compounds and changes in landuse are also described. Organisms, plants, animals and microorganisms are all affecting nitrogen supply. Emphasis is placed on natural and anthropogenic transfer of nitrogen between ecosystems and also on the interaction of nitrogen with other bioelements.

th th On June 17 and 18 1987 the fourth workshop on "Azospi rillum: Genetics, Physiology, Ecology" took place at the Uni ver sity of Bayreuth, West Germany, organized by the Genetics depart ment. There were about 80 participants, who came from German research institutions, from other European countries, from Is rael, Egypt, India, North Vietnam, and North and South America. The former workshops had also taken place in Bayreuth, in 1981, 1983 and 1985, hence the organizers could draw on the experience obtained at these earlier workshops. Azospirilla have, during the past 15 years, found an ever increasing scientific interest because, first, these soil bacte ria carry the genetic information for binding molecular nitrogen from the air and, second, they live in close vicinity to the roots of grain crops and forage grasses. By exploitation of these two properties, it is hoped to develop inoculation procedures which can be used in nitrogen-deficient soils.

The esculent Lycopersicon esculentum, long thought to be poisonous, has become a major U. S. food crop and source of vitamins and minerals, thanks largely to genetic modification and new production technology Rick (1978) Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ) is one of the most important solana ceous vegetable crops grown worldwide under outdoor and indoor conditions. It has become an important commercial crop so far as the area, production, industrial values and its contribution to human nutrition is concerned. During the past few decades tremendous developments have contributed to the knowledge and understanding of various areas of genetics, breeding and biotechnology and voluminous literature has been generated. The purpose of preparing this monograph is to give a comprehensive up-to-date treatment to the various aspects of genetic improvement of tomato. The emphasis has been placed on cytology, classical and molecular genetics, reproductive biology, germplasm resources, hybrid seed production, use of wild taxa, selection/ breeding methods, breeding for abiotic and biotic stresses, processing and quality breeding, improvement for mechanical harvesting, and biotechnology: tissue culture, protoplast fusion, and genetic transformation. These topics are presented in 22 different chapters. However, a few aspects have been discussed in more than one chapter. For example, seed production is treated in chapters 1, 4 and 8; molecular biology/genetic engineering in chapters 3 and 22 and heterosis in chapters 8 and 16."

This volume of Advances in Microbial Ecology marks a change in the editor ship of the series. The Editorial Board wishes to take this opportunity to express its gratitude to Martin Alexander, the founding editor and editor of the first five volumes, for his enterprise in establishing the series and in ensuring that Advances has become an outstanding focal point for the identification of new developments in the rapidly expanding field of microbial ecology. With the publication of this volume, we welcome Howard Slater to the Editorial Board. The policies of the Editorial Board remain the same as before. Most con tributions to Advances in Microbial Ecology will be solicited by the Board. However, individuals are encouraged to submit outlines of unsolicited contri butions to the Board for consideration for inclusion in the series. Advances is designed to serve an international audience and to provide critical reviews on basic and applied aspects of microbial ecology. Contributions in the present volume are predominantly concerned with the ecology of aquatic microorganisms, but encompass a variety of approaches to this area. The exception is the chapter by J. W. Doran on the role of micro organisms in the cycling of selenium. G-Y. Rhee discusses the effects of envi ronmental factors on phytoplankton growth. The factors limiting the produc tivity of freshwater microbial ecosystems are considered by H. W. Paerl."

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the importance of reproductive biology to crop production and there has been a tremendous increase in research on reproductive structures of higher plants. Presented here is a wide information of different aspects of micro- and macrosporogenesis, pollen-stigma interaction and recognition, pollen tube growth, cytoskeleton, in vitro and in vivo gamete fusion, and incompatibility. The most advanced techniques employed in studies on reproductive biology of higher plants are described in detail.

As J understand it, a book Preface is where the author explains to the reader how the book in hand came about, something of the personal reasons for having inflicted such extended duress on one's self to complete the manllscript. and other items that are fit to say but do not fit in the text. This book had its conceptual beginnings in the 1970's wit h my 'studies in scientific synthesis at the North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, Minnesota. Ours is, clearly, the age of analysis. But, I felt, we must soon begin frameworks for synthesis, or a synthesis would never be possible. In short, I hoped to develop 'interaction' as an integrative principle in forestry. As work progressed on the manuscript, other subthemes developed. First, there was the vague feeling on my part that the forestry profession was losing ground in the contest to see who should manage the forests of the world. This was happening not because foresters do not know how to manage forests in a reasonable manner, but because the public seemed to be loosing faith in the judgement of foresters as professional, responsible, wise land managers. Several well-known incidents of poor judgement in timber harvesting methods on national forests in the United States did little to help the forester's image.

Fertilization in mammals normally occUrs within the oviduct, where it is relatively inaccessible to study. However, as a result of painstaking research, most of it carried out over the last five years, this barrier to experimentation has been largely overcome by the development of in vitro fertilization techniques for at least 11 different species, including man. The result has been a rapid increase in our knowledge of the physiological and bio chemical mechanisms involved in the fertilization process. The aim of this book, which is an extension of my recent review of cell surface interactions in fertilization (Gwatkin, 1976), is to present a brief, but well documented, account of the new knowledge that has been attained. Although this book deals with mammalian fertilization mechanisms, I have included some recent experiments on am phibian and invertebrate gametes to supplement the mammalian picture. This information is particularly valuable as the rela tively large number of eggs available from these lower forms has advanced our knowledge of certain fertilization mechanisms beyond what is known in mammals. However, in the interest of brevity, I have omitted details of morphology and minor varia tions between species. For these, and other aspects not covered here, the reader is referred to the books of Austin (1965, 1968), vii viii PREFACE Austin and Short (1972), Metz and Monroy (1969), Monroy (1965), Lord Rothschild (1956a), and Zamboni (l971a)."

The results, published in this book, present the outcome of a cooperative research between plant ecologists, physiologists and population geneticists. The project received generous financial support from the Foundation for Bio logical Research, which is subsidized by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. During the course of the Project the value of the in tegrative approach on a limited number of Plantago species and populations became evident and it was decided that the results should be published as a book. The start of the preparation of the "plantago" book was done by Dr. P. J. M. van der Aart and Dr. H. Lambers but due to their appointment as full professor of the University of Utrecht they were both unable to continue. We are greatly indebted to Van der Aart and Lambers for the groundwork they have laid. The book presents a sample of results obtained over a period of more than 10 years. Research on Plantago is still continuing, as evident from a number of publications and doctoral theses. We want to thank the authors for their pa tience and assistance to complete the job. The editorial assistance of Mrs. I. Cameron-Doornbos was extremely valuable, as well as the help of Mr. E. Leeuwinga und Mrs. N. Tolmeijer with the drawings and the help of Mrs. T. E. Stuit with the list of references."

Tropical and subtropical countries have become well aware of the fact, that they must make better use of their fruits. In spite of the favourable climatic conditions for the production of varieties of delicious fruits in such countries, continuously high tempemtures shorten the shelf-life of most fruits and fruit products. A tropical climate provides ideal conditions for mpid growth of spoilage microorganisms and for chemical reactions. Most of such reactions in fruits and fruit products are deteriomtive in nature causing high respiration rates, texture softening and spoilage of fruit. This causes loss of colour, flavour and vitamins, and browning of fruit products. Even though a fruit product has been rendered microbiolo gically stable, these chemical reactions continue to occur in storage, and they occur much more mpidly in a tropical climate. The processing of fruits and soft drinks is a predominate food industry in tropical and subtropical countries. Some of the large companies in such industries are partly foreign owned. They seem to be efficiently operated with adequate capital, good management, and technological competence, all of which are usually imported from the parent company. However, most of small and medium companies are locally owned, and are deficient in technology and management ability. The products are generally fair. It is rare to find a trained quality assurance manager in these companies. Processing of good fruit products, especially for export, requires sound fruit processing lines as well as good managementthat achieves internationally accept ed standards of quality."

Clonal forestry has come of age. Basic techniques in genetics and biotechnology of other organisms are generally applicable to forest trees. However, there are some differences, in particular in the juvenile- and maturation-related regeneration. Examined here are crucial topics of juvenility, maturation and rejuvenation in clonal propagation of trees. In addition, the genetics of clones, population biology of clonal deployment, propagation and field testing of clones, clone identification, clonal physiology, regeneration and variation in plant tissue cultures, the role of somatic embryogenesis in clonal forestry, and recent developments in biotechnology, including the molecular structure of trees and gene transfer are covered in depth.

Global attention in scientific, industrial, and governmental communities to traces of toxic chemicals in foodstuffs and in both abiotic and biotic environ ments has justified the present triumvirate of specialized publications in this field: comprehensive reviews, rapidly published progress reports, and archival documentations. These three publications are integrated and scheduled to pro vide in international communication the coherency essential for nonduplicative and current progress in a field as dynamic and complex as environmental con tamination and toxicology. Until now there has been no journal or other publica tion series reserved exclusively for the diversified literature on "toxic" chemicals in our foods, our feeds, our geographical surroundings, our domestic animals, our wildlife, and ourselves. Around the world immense efforts and many talents have been mobilized to technical and other evaluations of natures, locales, magnitudes, fates, and toxicology of the persisting residues of these chemicals loosed upon the world. Among the sequelae of this broad new emphasis has been an inescapable need for an articulated set of authoritative publications where one could expect to find the latest important world literature produced by this emerging area of science together with documentation of pertinent ancil lary legislation."

This volume has been produced for the XI 11th EUCARPIA Congress. EUCARPIA (the European Association for Plant breeding) currently has 1.200 members, including scientists and staff of both publ ic and private organizations. Its aim is to promote scientific and technical research and cooperation In the field of plant breeding, and thereby to contribute to the development of agriculture. Every three years, EUCARPIA organizes a scientific congress. In 1992, the Xilith EUCARPIA Congress will be held In ANGERS (Fran- ce) and the theme Is "Reproductive biology and plant breeding". Reproduction of plant material Is central to selection. The geneti- cist, the plant breeder and the seed grower all use sexual and ve- getative reproduction during the various stages of plant breeding and creation of variety. The possibility of unlimited interspecific reproduction, the use of gametogenesis dysfunction, the creation of auto and allogamy, and the cloning of the best genotypes are the challenges before the plant breeder. To understand how the reproductive system conditions the genetic structure of a population, and to Investigate the relation- ships between the reproductive mode and the organization of varia- bility Is a central key to genetic progress. The articles presented In this book review the current state of knowledge of reproductive biology, and Its impact on variety crea- tion.

Root disease epidemics, because much of the activity takes place in soil and out of sight, pose special challenges to growers who seek to manage them and to scientists who study them. All relevant topics of root disease epidemics and their management are presented: The critical aspects of specific disease components including inoculum, host roots, mycorrhiza and the soil environment are explored. Challenges of disease assessment and the temporal and spatial aspects of epidemic development are considered, and approaches to root disease management including host resistance, chemical, biological and cultural management are discussed in detail. The book fulfills the needs of researchers, teachers, and practitioners of plant pathology.

"Azospirillum" is a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium used for inoculation of cereal and forage crops. The book covers its physiology, ecology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. The most advanced molecular techniques to understand the regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen fixation and ammonia assimilation, as well as the basis of phytohormone production, are included. In particular, the identification of novel types of promoters, specific regulatory circuits, and new regulatory proteins is described. New insights in the plant growth promoting role of the bacteria through the analysis of their interactions with the plant are presented. Also discussed are field applications, allowing the evaluation of the physiological and agronomic involvement of "Azospirillum" inoculations.

Ecologists are increasingly being drawn into the task of addressing problems of environmental degradation. They are expected to find solutions that will lead to sustainable resource use throughout the world. In doing so, the robustness of the science becomes increasingly important, and the problem of extrapolating the results of research conducted within what is usually a relatively limited geographical scope is increasingly highlighted. One approach to developing a globally robust ecology involves more or less formal intercontinental comparative studies, usually focused on the question of ecological convergence. These studies are directed at testing the prediction that similar physical and other environmental factors in different parts of the world, through their selective influences, will give rise to ecosystems which share com mon structural and functional features. Should this be true, the predictive power of ecology developed within such a framework should be sufficient to solve similar problems elsewhere in such biomes. There is a long history of such an approach in mediterranean type ecosystems, documented in a series of volumes and their accompanying scientific papers beginning with that of Di Castri and Mooney (1973).

Processes of acidification or alkalization of soils are treated, taking the qualitative changes in soil chemistry into consideration. Following a theoretical background of ecosystem proton budgets, the application for assessing external and internal acid loads are demonstrated. The chemistry of organic matter and the oxides of aluminum, iron, and manganese are treated in the context of being sources and sinks for acid loads in soils. Special attention is payed to the assessment of solubility and reaction kinetics of aluminous minerals. The formation of toxic elements in soil solution resulting from the solubilization of inorganic oxides as well as aspects of changes in the nutrient status of soils, changes of fertility and processes leading to a transfer of acidity from soils to surface are discussed.

Behavioural Mechanisms of Food Selection examines animals belonging to diverse trophic groups, from carnivores, herbivores, micro-algal grazers, to filter-feeders and detritus-feeders. In the past Optimal Foraging Theory has been applied to all these groups, but in different ways and in disci plines that rarely overlap. Here concepts and developments hitherto scattered in the literature are drawn together. This uniquely broad synthesis captures the state of the art in the study of diet selection and prescribes new objectives in theoretical development and research.

Most books on epidemiology have treated the subject from a statistical, mathematical or computer applicational point of view. However, experiments must be performed first to provide the data for models which in turn can then be proven by further experimentation. This mutual interplay of theory and empirics gives epidemiology its scientific thrust and charm. This book provides a choice of methods for varying applications and objectives, covering all important aspects for the designing of experiments. Furthermore, the reader is supplied with solutions to his experimental problems and many "tricks of the trade." The newcomer to the field will also profit by this methodology guide.

Although plant genes were first isolated only some twelve years ago and transfer of foreign DNA into tobacco cells first demonstrated some eight years ago, the application and extension of biotechnology to agricultural problems has already led to the field-testing of genetically modified crop plants. The promise of tailor-made plants containing resistance to pests or diseases as well as many other desirable characteristics has led to the almost compulsory incorporation of molecular biology into the research programs of chemical and seed companies as well as Governmental agricultural agencies. With the routine transformation of rice and the early evidence of transformation of maize the possibility of the world's major cereal crops being modified for improved nutritional value or resistance characteristics is now likely in the next few years. The increasing number of cloned plant genes and the increasing sophistication of our knowledge of the major developmental and biochemi cal pathways in plants should eventually allow us to engineer crop plants with higher yields and with less detrimental impact on the environment than now occurs in our current high input agricultural systems. This book draws together many of the expanding areas of plant molecular biology and genetic engineering that will make a substantial contribution to the development of the more productive and efficient crop plants that the world's farmers will be planting in the next decade."

The compartmentation of genetic information is a fundamental feature of the eukaryotic cell. The metabolic capacity of a eukaryotic (plant) cell and the steps leading to it are overwhelmingly an endeavour of a joint genetic cooperation between nucleus/cytosol, plastids, and mitochondria. Alter ation of the genetic material in anyone of these compartments or exchange of organelles between species can seriously affect harmoniously balanced growth of an organism. Although the biological significance of this genetic design has been vividly evident since the discovery of non-Mendelian inheritance by Baur and Correns at the beginning of this century, and became indisputable in principle after Renner's work on interspecific nuclear/plastid hybrids (summarized in his classical article in 1934), studies on the genetics of organelles have long suffered from the lack of respectabil ity. Non-Mendelian inheritance was considered a research sideline ifnot a freak by most geneticists, which becomes evident when one consults common textbooks. For instance, these have usually impeccable accounts of photosynthetic and respiratory energy conversion in chloroplasts and mitochondria, of metabolism and global circulation of the biological key elements C, N, and S, as well as of the organization, maintenance, and function of nuclear genetic information. In contrast, the heredity and molecular biology of organelles are generally treated as an adjunct, and neither goes as far as to describe the impact of the integrated genetic system."

Advances in Soil Science is a review series relevant to all areas of soil science. These reviews, intended primarily for scientists, teachers, and students of soil science, also provide technical background information for many additional workers and groups interested in our natural resources and man's influence on them. This is the eighth volume in the series with an international list of contributors from the United States, India, Canada and New Zealand. It contains four review chapters on the following subjects: factors affecting aluminum transformations in soil; soil productivity in dryland regions of developing countries; changes in soil structure under different cropping systems; properties and management of the depleted soils of India. These contributions present valuable information on a diversity of topics and serve as an excellent source of references.

The understanding of pollutant transformations, sorption and transport in soils and uptake by plants is the key to controlling contaminant movement towards groundwater and accumulation in food-chains. Some of these major processes were discussed in the first International Workshop on Pollutants in Porous Media, con vened in Israel in 1983 (pollutants in Porous Media, Eds. Yaron, Dagan and Goldshmid, Springer-Verlag, 1984). Since that meeting, research on contaminant impact on the environment expanded considerably. New mechanisms explaining inorganic pollutant par titioning between solid and solution phases in soils were proposed and tested; specific elements and specific reactions were investigat ed, and more case studies to evaluate management practice effects on drinking water quality and accumulation of contaminants in crops were carried out. The recognition that the new knowledge needs to be discussed and evaluated, and the scientific and engineering communities be updated, led the IUPAC (Interna tional Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) and IAHS (Interna tional Association of Hydrological Sciences) Water Quality Com missions to organize a second International Workshop on pollu tant behaviour in the vadose zone, hosted by the Institute of Soils and Water of the Agricultural Research Organization, Israel. In this workshop, taking place in June 1987, attention was focused on chemical, physico-chemical and microbial-mediated reactions of different contaminants in the vadose zone. This book contains selected works presented in the 1987 workshop by invited special ists from various disciplines and countries."