This book summarizes the experimental work conducted during a trans-disciplinary research program conducted for six years by the German Research Foundation. Each chapter includes introductory remarks written by internationally recognized scientists in their research areas.

Contributiing authors representing outstanding German scientists from such different disciplines as Physics, Biochemistry, Plant Nutrition, Botany, and Molecular Biology not only report original research but also review the state of knowledge in their fields of research.

This book is primarily a general text covering the whole sweep of the forest industries. The over-riding emphasis is on a clear, simple interpretation of the underlying science, demonstrating how such principles apply to processing operations. The book considers the broad question "what is wood?" by looking at the biology, chemistry and physics of wood structure. Wood quality is examined, and explanations are offered on how and why wood quality varies and the implications for processing. Finally, various "industrial processes" are reviewed and interpreted. All chapters have been written by specialists, but the presentation targets a generalist audience.

Because of the magnificent response to the call for papers for the 7th International Biodeterioration Symposium held at Cambridge, UK, some difficulties have been experienced in the editing of these proceedings. The numbers of papers submitted exceeded expectation and because of this it has been necessary to accommodate those not actually in the proceedings into the International Biodeterioration journal. A small number of papers were not suitable for publication and were therefore eliminated. Many authors disregarded the guidelines laid down for the length of submitted papers. However, every attempt has been made to accommodate the maximum number of contributions in the proceedings. The original selection included those which most nearly conformed to the length requirement. Even so this has meant, in many cases, cutting down the text, eliminating tables and/or illustrations and pruning the reference list. When references have been trimmed a note has been included to the effect that an extended list may be obtained from the author/senior author. Where it was not possible to carry out these procedures without seriously altering the text and the import of the paper they have been included amongst those to be published in the journal International Biodeterioration. The exceptions to the procedures outlined above are the invited review papers which have been presented in full. Happily, the authors have been conscientious in keeping to the guidelines laid down for these contributions.

If one were forced to use a single key word to describe the decade of the 1980's, a very prominent one would be "technology. " Leading the forefront of tech nology advancement were breakthroughs in electronics. Devices that were uncommon or unknown in 1980 became commonplace, and almost indispens able, by 1989. This trend has continued into the 1990's and it does not seem to be abating in any way. Microwave ovens, video recorders, telephone answer ing machines, compact disc players, computers, and a host of smaller or less sophisticated devices now appear in most households. The development of small and inexpensive computers, i. e., personal computers, has placed computing resources within reach of many more people. In addition, many traditional, and largely mechanical devices, have been enhanced by electronics. For example, specialized microprocessors are combined with arrays of electronic sensors to control and monitor sophisticated engineering components in most new auto mobiles. In this and many other ways, we are touched by the new electronics in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Initially, personal computers were little more than toys. They contained only a small fraction of the computing power of their immediate ancestors, the mini computers and mainframe computers. However, rapid improvements in integ rated circuit design and chip manufacture produced regular reductions in size and cost of computer components. During the same time, processor speed and sophistication increased."

Advances in Soil Science was conceived in 1982 to provide a forum for leading international scientists to analyze and summarize the available scientific information on a subject, assessing its importance and ident ifying additional research needs. This goal seems even more appropriate today. Much is known about our soil resources. The principles learned and the technology developed need to be used to increase food pro duction, particularly in developing countries, and sustain the productivity of the resource base. Advances in Soil Science fills a gap between the scientific journals and the comprehensive reference books. Scientists can delve in depth on a particular subject relating to soil science. Contributors are asked in particular to develop and identify principles that have practical applications to both developing and developed agricultures. Advances in Soil Science was established to be international in scope and cover all subjects relating to soil science. This volume certainly fulfills that objective. The first chapter is concerned with denitrification. The significance of denitrification in nitrogen use efficiency in agricultural, grassland, and forest ecosystems, and in global nitrogen cycling is now well recognized. Therefore, an understanding of denitrification is essential for the efficient use of nitrogen fertilizers and for protecting the environ ment. The second chapter looks at the effects of subzero temperatures on the physical, biological, and chemical processes. This is an important area of soil science that has not been studied in great detail."

Advances in Rice Blast Research provides a complete overview of the research undertaken on the rice-blast pathosystem. This book gathers in one volume the most recent works on rice blast fungus genetics and molecular biology of pathogenicity, rice blast fungus population studies, and genetics and molecular biology of rice resistance to blast, including resistance gene cloning. It also presents the latest results on resistance breeding and resistance management strategies, epidemiology and disease management. This book is a must for plant pathologists and breeders working on rice blast and also to plant pathologists and breeders dealing with fungal diseases in general, because the rice-blast pathosystem is a model in plant pathology. Advances in Rice Blast Research provides a complete overview of the research undertaken on the rice-blast pathosystem. This book gathers in one volume the most recent works on rice blast fungus genetics and molecular biology of pathogenicity, rice blast fungus population studies, and genetics and molecular biology of rice resistance to blast, including resistance gene cloning. It also presents the latest results on resistance breeding and resistance management strategies, epidemiology and disease management. This book is a must for plant pathologists and breeders working on rice blast and also to plant pathologists and breeders dealing with fungal diseases in general, because the rice-blast pathosystem is a model in plant pathology.

Eeonomie plants range from those that are eommercially utilised by the industrial nations of the world to those that safeguard the survival of hunter-gatherer aboriginal eommunities. In a world of inereasing human and livestock populations, land and environment degradation, species loss and climatic change, it is becoming inerea- singly important to work for the sustainable management of the world's natural resourees. This is especially important for the arid and semi-arid regions where any abuse of the harsh environment is unforgiving. Plant resourees are especially important sinee they proteet the environment, provide habitats for both flora and fauna, and direetly or indireetly provide the resourees for man's survival. An understanding of how plants are adapted to survive is an essential tool for the better management of the environment. Sinee there are over 20000 useful plants in the arid and sem i-arid regions of the world, of which only a relative few have been even partially investigated, the writer makes no apologies for whieh plants have been included or ignored. All the plants mentioned in the introductory ehap- ters marked with an asterisk are diseussed more fully in Chapter 11.

These proceedings fonn the outcome of an International Conference on "Impacts of Global change on Tree Physiology and Forest Ecosystems ", held from 26-29 November 1996, at Wageningen, The Netherlands. The conference brought together biologists, ecologists, and forest scientist working in the field of impacts of elevated CO and air pollution on tree physiology and forest ecosystems, and marked the 2 completion of a European COST action on "Impacts of Elevated C02 levels and Air Pollutants on Tree Physiology" (ICAT / COST-614), as well as the conclusion of the frrst phase of an EU-funded project entitled "Long-Term Effects of C02 and Climate Change on European Forests (LTEEF) ", that was carried out under the Environment and Climate Programme of the 4th Framework Programme (contract no's EV5V-CT94-0468 and PECOINIS-CT94-0112). The conference aimed to present an overview of current knowledge of effects of air pollution and climate change, at the biophysical, biochemical and physiological level of trees, against the background of climatic conditions and natural stresses. For the proceedings, we have asked the authors to provide an overview of their recent work, providing an entrance to a particular field of research rather than presenting unpublished material. The meeting took place at the International Agricultural Centre (lAC) with fmancial support provided by the COST-614 secretariat in Brussels. We like to thank mrs. A. van der Bunte of lAC for her support in organising the meeting, mr. A. J. H.

The future of insect control looked very bright in the 1950s and 1960s with new insecticides constantly coming onto the market. Today, however, whole classes of pesticide chemistry have fallen by the wayside due to misuse which generated resistance problems reaching crisis proportions, severe adverse effects on the environment, and public outcry that has led to increasingly stricter regulation and legislation. It is with this background, demanding the need for safer, environmentally friendly pesticides and new strategies to reduce resistance problems, that this book was written. The authors of the various chapters have a wealth of experience in pesticide chemistry, biochemical modes of action, mechanism of resistance and application, and have presented concise reviews. Each is actively involved in thedevelopment of new groups of pesticide chemistry which led to the development of novel insecticides with special impact in controlling agricultural pests. Emphasis has been given to insecticides with selective properties, such as insect growth regulators hormone mimics, ecdysone agonists), (chitin synthesis inhibitors, juvenile chloronicotinyl insecticides (imidacloprid, acetamiprid), botanical insecticides (neem, plant oils), pymetrozine, diafenthiuron, pyrrole insecticides, and others. The importance of these compounds, as components in integrated pest management programs and in insecticide resistance management strategies, is discussed. The data presented are essential in establishing new technologies and developing novel groups of compounds which will have impact on our future agricultural practices.

Genetic erosions in plant cell cultures, especially in chromosome number and ploidy level, have now been known for over 25 years. Until the mid -1970ssuch changes were consideredundesirable and thereforediscarded because the main emphasis wason clonal propagation and genetic stability of cultures. However, since the publication on somaclonal variation by Larkin and Scowcroft (1981) there has been a renewed interest to utilize these in vitro obtained variations for crop improvement. Studies conduc- ted during the last decade have shown that callus cultures, especially on peridical subculturing over an extended period of time, undergo morpho- logical and genetic changes, i. e. polyploidy, aneuploidy, chromosome breakage, deletions, translocations, gene amplification, inversions, muta- tions, etc. In addition, there are changes at the molecular and biochemical levelsincluding changes in the DNA, enzymes,proteins, etc. Suchchanges are now intentionally induced, and useful variants are selected. For instance in agricultural crops such as potato, tomato, tobacco, maize, rice and sugarcane, plants showing tolerance to a number of diseases, viruses, herbicides and salinity, have been isolated in cell cultures. Likewise induction of male sterility in rice, and wheat showing various levels of fer- tility and gliadin, have been developed in vitro. These academic excercises open new avenues for plant breeders and pathologists. Another area of tremendous commercial importance in the pharmaceuti- cal industry is the selection of cell lines showing high levels of medicinal and industrial compounds. Already high shikonin containing somaclones in Lithospermum are being used commercially.

This book is a collection of papers presented at the international symposium on forest sector analysis held in Miyazaki, Japan, in 1998. It is structured with three themes: understanding global forest sector issues, discussing the contribution of modeling efforts to forest sector analysis, and discussing the role of Japanese forest policy in a global sense. The most important features are the case studies using various types of forest sector models. From a modeling perspective, changes in modeling efforts include more detail of spatial and multiple market levels, intergenerational welfare concerns, non-market valuation issues, and explicit treatment of the uncertainty inherent in both the policy process and in the biophysical systems. The reader of this book will benefit not only from presentation of forest utilization issues in different nations, but also from the interrelatedness of the theory and application of forest sector modeling.

Presenting the state of the art of tissue culture and in vitro propagation of vegetable and tuber crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, fibre and oilseed crops, and grasses, this book complements the previous two volumes on High-Tech and Micropropagation, which concentrated on special techniques (Vol.17) and trees and bushes of commercial value (Vol.18). The specific plants covered here include asparagus, lettuce, horse radish, cucumber, potato, cassava, sweet potato, artichoke, yams, cardamom, fennel, celery, thyme, leek, mentha, turmeric, lavender, agave, yucca, cotton, jute, sunflower, ryegrass, zoysiagrass, and various species of "Aconitum," "Artemisia," "Camelia," "Centaurium," "Digitalis," "Dioscorea," "Glehnia," "Levisticum," "Parthenium," and "Pinella." The book is of use to advanced students, teachers and research workers in the field of pharmacy, horticulture, plant breeding and plant biotechnology in general, and also to individuals interested in industrial micropropagation.

The aim of this Handbook is to cover all fields that are necessary for the management of tropical forest resources. It provides proven and/or promis ing concepts, methods and available comparative data. The exten sive references cited are a valuable source for further in-depth research on specific subjects. The handbook is addressed to forestry professionals, natural re source managers and all those interested in the understanding and hand ling of day-to-day problems of tropical forest resources. It is an attempt to present, in a concentrated form, the vast ex perience gathered in tropical forestry. The available knowledge although far from complete, does not permit us to stand idly by when confronted with the dwindling tropical forests. Excuses not to tackle this problem are not acceptable. The experience of the last decades gives us sufficient background to apply techniques and concepts successfully, to encom pass the complexity of the human and the natural tropical environment. The authors responsible for the respective sections have been recom mended by institutions or individuals specialized in the subject. Our thanks go to aH those unnamed individuals whose dedication and responsible work made this handbook a reality. Our gratitude also to all the colleagues who supported the handbook in its early stages by their firm commitment."

The 50th volume of Progress in Botany appears in new guise. In cooperation with Springer-Verlag we have changed from the less attractive typewriter composition to the direct reproduction of a manuscript which was writ ten by means of a text editing system and produced by a laser printer. We, the editors, should like to take the appearance of Volume 50 as the occasion for a few short remarks. Our younger readers are perhaps not aware that our Book Series was founded in 1931 by Fritz von Wettstein, based on the following thoughts and considerations, aptly formulated by him in the Preface to the first volume. "One of the greatest dangers threatening progress in the science of botany is the absolutely unbelievable growth in volume of the literature. The quality of journals, books and individual works that are daily sent to us makes it impossible for anyone person to maintain a general view of the progress made in botany in all the specialized fields, let alone to find time for results from associated su bjects. For varying reasons, every botanist must find this state of matters insupportable. Let us endeavor, in the general interest, to retain a wide background of knowledge, and not become limited specialists. The vitally necessary connections between the specialized fields can only flourish, or even exist, if the general view of botany as a whole can be maintained."

This book is the self-contained fourth volume of a seven-volume comprehensive series on nitrogen fixation. The outstanding aspect of this book is the integration of basic and applied work on biological nitrogen fixation in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and ecology in general. Nowadays, the concept of sustainability, which originated in agriculture and land use, is reaching many other areas of society and industry. Sustainability has a major part to play in the global challenge of continued development of regions, countries, and continents all around the World and biological nitrogen fixation has a key role in this process. This volume begins with chapters specifically addressing crops of major global importance, such as soybeans, rice, and sugar cane. It continues with a second important focus, agroforestry, and describes the use and promise of both legume trees with their rhizobial symbionts and other nitrogen-fixing trees with their actinorhizal colonization. An over-arching theme of all chapters is the interaction of the plants and trees with microbes and this theme allows other aspects of soil microbiology, such as interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the impact of soil-stress factors on biological nitrogen fixation, to be addressed. Furthermore, a link to basic science occurs through the inclusion of chapters describing the biogeochemically important nitrogen cycle and its key relationships among nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification. The volume then provides an up-to-date view of the production of microbial inocula, especially those for legume crops. No other available work provides the up-to-date and in-depth coverage of this volume, which is intended to serve as an indispensable reference work for academic, government, and industrial scientists working in the applied areas of agronomy, plant breeding, plant nutrition, ecology, and forestry as well as those in the basic science areas of plant physiology, soil microbiology, and related environmental disciplines. This volume will be an invaluable tool for students entering this challenging area of research and will provide science administrators with ready access to vital relevant information.

One of the first priority areas among joint East/West research programs is the rational use of natural resources and sustainable development of regions. In the boreal zone of North America and Eurasia forests are economically very important and, at the same time highly vulnerable to disturbances. Because of its size and ecological functions the boreal forest zone and its most dynamic disturbance factor - fire - play an important role in ecosystem processes on global scale. Interest within the global change research community in Northern Eurasia (Fennoscandia, European Russia, Siberia, and the Far East of Russia) has grown dramatically in the last few years. It is a vast area about which very little is known. It is a region where temperature rise due to anthropogenic climate forcing is predicted to be the greatest, and where the consequent feedbacks to the atmosphere are potentially large. In addition, it is poised to undergo rapid economic development, which may lead to large and significant changes to its land cover. Much of this interest in Northern Eurasia, as in the high latitude regions in general, is centerd on its role in the global carbon cycle, which is likely to be significantly affected under global change. New research initiatives between Western and Eastern countries have been designed to address a series of phenomena, problems and management solutions.

Since the publication of the first edition of Plant Microtubules in 2000, our understanding of microtubules and their manifold functions have advanced substantially. This revised edition highlights the morphogenetic potential of plant microtubules from three general viewpoints: Microtubules and Morphogenesis, Microtubules and Environment, Microtubules and Evolution. The book is an invaluable source of information for researchers as well as for graduate and advanced students.

This book draws together contributions from forest economists in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, with co-authors from institutions around the world. It represents our common belief that rigorous empirical analysis in an economic framework can inform forest policy. We intend the book as a guide to the empirical methods that we have found most useful for addressing both traditional and modem areas of concern in forest policy, including timber production and markets, multiple use forestry, and valuation of non-market benefits. 'The book editors and most chapter authors are affiliated with three institutions in the Research Triangle: the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service (K. Abt, Butry, Holmes, Mercer, Moulton, Prestemon, Wear), the Department of Forestry at North Carolina State University (R. Abt, Ahn, Cubbage, Sills), and the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Program of Research Triangle Institute (Murray, Pattanayak). Two other Triangle institutions are also represented among the book authors: Duke University (Kramer) and the Forestland Group (Zinkhan). In addition to our primary affiliations, many of us are adjunct faculty and/or graduates of Triangle universities. Many of our co-authors also graduated from or were previously affiliated with Triangle institutions. Thus, the selection of topics, methods, and case studies reflects the work of this particular network of economists, and to some degree, our location in the southeastern United States. However, our work and the chapters encompass other regions of the United States and the world, including Latin America and Asia.

This volume contains a selection of 14 articles dealing with different aspects of biomonitoring and their relation to questions of global change. During the last 10 - 15 years, vegetation changes due to various causes have been more intensively studied in biological and environmental sciences. Especially aspects of global warming lead to a great variety of tasks for vegetation science (see e.g. the articles by Grabherr, Gottfried & Pauli; Carraro, Gianoni, Mossi, KlOtzli & Walther; Walther; Defila; Stampfli & Zeiter; Rothlisberger; Burga & Perret and Moller, WUthrich & Thannheiser). The different aspects of applied biomonitoring related to (possible) environmental changes concern various ecosystems, e.g. Central European beechwoods, Insubrian evergreen broad-leaved forests, thermophilous lowland deciduous forests, dry grasslands of the lower montane belt of the Ticino Alps, alpine mountain peaks of Switzerland and Austria, Swiss alpine timberline ecotones, and high arctic tundra vegetation. The volume is divided into three parts: A. General aspects of biomonitoring (contributions by KlOtzli; Wildi and Labasch & Otte) , B. Examples of applied biomonitoring in Germany and Switzerland (articles by Hakes; Herpin, Siewers, Kreimes & Markert; Defila; Stampfli & Zeiter; Rothlisberger and Ruoss, Burga & Eschmann), and C. Aspects of global change in the Alps and in the high arctic tundra (Grabherr, Gottfried & Pauli; Burga & Perret; Carraro, Gianoni, Mossi, KlOtzli & Walther; Walther and Moller, WUthrich & Thannheiser).

by Peter J. Roussopoulos, Director, Southern Research Station The world and its ecosystems are repeatedly punctuated by natural disturbances, and human societies must learn to manage this reality Often severe and unp- dictable, dynamic natural forces disrupt human welfare and alter the structure and composition of natural systems Over the past century, land management ag- cies within the United States have relied on science to improve the sustainable management of natural resources Forest economics research can help advance this scientifc basis by integrating knowledge of forest disturbance processes with their economic causes and consequences As the twenty-frst century unfolds, people increasingly seek the goods and services provided by forest ecosystems, not only for wood supply, clean water, and leisure pursuits, but also to establish residential communities that are removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life As vividly demonstrated during the past few years, Santa Ana winds can blow wildfres down from the mountains of California, incinerating homes as readily as vegetation in the canyons below Hurricanes can fatten large swaths of forest land, while associated foods create havoc for urban and rural residents alike Less dramatic, but more insidious, trees and forest stands are succumbing to exotic insects and diseases, causing economic losses to private property values (including timber) as well as scenic and recreation values As human demands on public and private forests expand, science-based solutions need to be identifed so that social needs can be balanced with the vagaries of forest disturbance processes

Most of the scientific methods devised for forest planning support timber production ignoring the existence of forest functions other than wood production. Fortunately, the realisation that the forest planning methods available today do not correspond to the needs of today's forestry has activated forest researchers to develop and adopt new methodologies and approaches, which are specifically aimed at multi-objective situations. This book is about the quantitative approach to multi-objective forest planning. The emphasis is on topics that are rather new and not yet systematically applied in forest planning practice. The topics and methodologies discussed in this book include: measurement of preferences, multiple criteria decision analysis, use of GIS to support multi-objective forest management, heuristic optimization, spatial optimisation, and the measurement of non-wood forest outputs. By reading the book, a planning specialist, student or a researcher will get an insight into some of the current developments in forest planning research.

After the 1986 and 1989 volumes, this is the third volume on biotechnology for propagation of trees. Comprising 28 chapters contributed by international experts the book deals with fruit, ornamental, and forest trees, such as Black cherry, Sour cherry, Pomegranate, Loquat, "Ficus," Yellow poplar, Horse chestnut, Judas tree, Linden tree, Saskatoons, Taiwan sassafras, Plane-tree, Rattans, Bamboos, Engelmann spruce, White spruce, Larches, Hinoki cypress, Western redcedar, and various types of pines, i.e. Jack, Carribean, Eldarica, Slash, Egg-cone, Maritime, Ponderosa, Eastern white, Loblolly pine. Trees III is an excellent reference book for scientists, educators, and students of forestry, botany, genetics, and horticulture, who are interested in tree biotechnology.

Wheat, which is the second most important cereal crop in the world, is being grown in a wide range of climates over an area of about 228 945 thou sand ha with a production of about 535 842 MT in the world. Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ) accounts for 80% of the wheat consumption, howe ver, it is attacked by a large number of pests and pathogens; rusts and smuts cause enormous damage to the crop and reduce the yield drastically in some areas. The major breeding objectives for wheat include grain yield, earliness, resistance to lodging and diseases, spikelet fertility, cold tolerance, leaf duration and net assimilation rate, fertilizer utilization, coleoptile length, nutritional value, organoleptic qualities, and the improvement of charac ters such as color and milling yield. The breeding of wheat by traditional methods has been practiced for centuries, however, it has only now come to a stage where these methods are insufficient to make any further breakthrough or to cope with the world's demand. Although numerous varieties are released every year around the world, they do not last long, and long-term objectives cannot be realized unless more genetic variability is generated. Moreover, the intro duction of exotic genetic stocks and their cultivation over large areas results in the depletion and loss of the native germplasm pool."

This book critically examines the idea that the sustainability of agriculture could be improved by mimicking the structure and processes occurring in natural ecosystems. Researchers from around the world present comparative studies of multi-species farming systems, natural ecosystems and conventional agriculture. Case studies from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North and South America examine the implications of increasing the complexity of farming systems on water and nutrient cycling, productivity and resilience. Theoretical issues discussed include the role of biodiversity in agriculture, the trade-off between perenniality and productivity, the choice to integrate or segregate production and conservation in an agricultural landscape, and the social and economic challenges to adopting complex farming systems. One section is devoted to the application of this concept in southern Australia, where 15 million hectares of land are expected to be affected by salinity by the middle of the next century unless there is a significant change in agricultural practice.

A new economic theory, rather than a new public policy based on old theory, is needed to guide humanity toward sustainability. Institutions are a critical dimension of sustainability and sustainable forest management, and economic analysis of institutional dimension requires an inclusionist rather than an exclusionist approach. This book provides a systematic critique of neoclassical economic approaches and their limitations with respect to sustainability. Leading institutional economists discuss theoretical perspectives about appropriate institutions for sustainable forest management, markets for environmental services, deforestation and specialization, and some country experiences about Kyoto Protocol, international trade, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable forest management in general. The book includes the ideas from old as well as new institutional economics and discusses the main features of Post-Newtonian economics.

This book follows a companion book, Economics, Sustainability, and Natural Resources: Economics of Sustainable Forest Management, volume 1 of the series.