All meat has been grass. This statement of the old Greeks is still valid and thus plants contribute to the needs of a growing world popula tion. Their other key role for human life is reflected by their photosynthetic activity. Intensive agriculture reduces the carbon diox ide content of the atmosphere. The improvements of cultivated plants towards stable yields and desired quality characteristics are the sub jects of plant breeding. Here, an introductory picture of the present state of this topic in research and application is given. The senior author, H. Kuckuck, wrote the first edition in 1939 as a small German booklet, hence the nickname little cuckoo (Kuckuck = Engl. cuckoo). During the last 6 years (the fifth German edition appeared in 1985) again numerous results of basic research have found practical application, making extensive additions neces sary. Further, it seemed timely to change to the international language of science: English. For help in translation we are grateful to Silke Kluth and Kathy Seaman. Since agricultural sciences - like all others - have become more specialized, we were happy to welcome D. Baringer (Sect. 5.4), W. Hondelmann (Sects. 4.4, 4.5, and 6), V. Stoy (Sect. 4.2), and T. Thtlioglu (Sects. 2.3.1.4 and 3.5) as contributors to this edition. Finally, we would like to thank Springer-Verlag for all their efforts in helping to transform a small German booklet into a book available to a wider audience."

Successful release of new and better crop varieties increasingly requires genomics and molecular biology. This volume presents basic information on plant molecular marker techniques from marker location up to gene cloning. The text includes a description of technical approaches in genome analysis such as comparison of marker systems, positional cloning, and array techniques in 19 crop plants. A special section focuses on converting this knowledge into general and specific breeding strategies, particularly in relation to biotic stress. Theory and practice of marker assisted selection for QTL, gene pyramiding and the future of MAS are summarized and discussed for maize, wheat, and soybean. Furthermore, approaches in silviculture on the examples of Fagus, Populus, Eucalyptus, Picea and Abies are presented. The volume ends with a comprehensive review of the patents relevant for using molecular markers and marker assisted selection.

Schmerz stellt ein Bio-Psycho-Soziales System dar. Im Sinne einer ganzheitlichen Therapie wird auch von interdisziplinarer Schmerztherapie gesprochen. Vor allem Patienten mit chronischen Schmerzen mochten neben der klassischen Schulmedizin uber alternative Methoden informiert werden. Dieses Buch liefert Ihnen dazu einen profunden Uberblick. Nach Informationen zur Schmerzentstehung und Placebo-Effekt stellen die Autoren ausfuhrlich Naturheilverfahren wie Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin, psychotherapeutische Verfahren, physikalische und andere haufig verwendete Methoden vor, u.a. Musiktherapie, Akupressur, medizinische Trainingstherapie."