Seed dormancy and germination (tertiary level biology)

Book review

Seed dormancy and germination (tertiary level biology)J W Bradbeer, Glasgow: Blackie &; Son 1988. x + 146 pages. £23.00 hardback; £10.95 paperback. ISBN 0-216 91635-6; ISBN 0-216-91636-4 PbK     

Photosynthesis

Book Review

PhotosynthesisA. Amesz (Ed)., Amsterdam: Elsevier 1987. 355 pages. £57.27. ISBN 0-444-80864-7     

Improving vegetatively propagated crops

Book reviews

Improving vegetatively propagated cropsA.J. Abbott and R.K. Atkin (Eds.), London: Academic Press, 1987. xvii + 416 pages. £37.00. 0-12-041410-4     

Techniques in molecular biology

Book Review

Techniques in molecular biologyJ.M. Walker and W. Gaastra (Eds.), vol. 2. London: Croom Helm, 1987. iv + 332 pages. £14.95. ISBN 0-7099-3673-7     

Plant membranes: Structure,assembly and function

Book Review

Plant membranes: Structure, assembly and functionJ.L. Harwood and T.J. Walton (Eds.), London: The Biochemical Society, 1988, 251 pages. £25. ISBN 0-904498-23-9     

Pesticide formulations: Innovations and developments

Book Review

Pesticide formulations: Innovations and developmentsB. Cross and H.B. Scher (Eds.), ACS Symposium Series 371. Washington DC: American Chemical Society, 1988. xi + 288 pages. £54.00. ISBN 0-8412-1483-2     

Root development and function

Book Review

Root development and functionP.J. Gregory, J.V. Lake and D.A. Rose (Eds.), (Society for Experimental Biology Seminar Series 30). Cambridge University Press 1987. 206 pages. Price £20. ISBN 0-5213-2931-0     

Microbial inoculation of crop plants

Book Review

Microbial inoculation of crop plantsR. Campbell and R.M. MacDonald (Eds.), Special publication of the Society for General Microbiology, Volume 25. IRL Press, 1989. xi+118 pages. £40. ISBN 0-19-963016-X     

Molecular and genetic aspects of nitrate assimilation

Book Review

Molecular and genetic aspects of nitrate assimilationJ.L. Wray and J.R. Kinghorn (Eds.), Oxford, New York, Tokyo: Oxford Science Publications, 1989. xv + 410 pages. £45.00. ISBN 0-19-857696-X     

Viruses with fungal vectors

Book Review

Viruses with fungal vectorsJ.I. Cooper and M.J.C. Asher (Eds.), (AAB Developments in Applied Biology 2). Warwick: Association of Applied Biologists, 1988. vi+335 pages. £30.00. ISBN 0269-0713     

Progress in theoretical vegetation science

Book Review

Progress in theoretical vegetation scienceG. Grabhett, L. Mucina, M.B. Dale and C.J.F. ter Braak (Eds.), Vol 83. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990, 276 pages, £95.00. ISBN 0-7923-0507-1     

Applications of chlorophyll fluorescence: In photosynthesis research,stress physiology,hydrobiology and remote sensing

Book reviews

Applications of chlorophyll fluorescence: In photosynthesis research, stress physiology, hydrobiology and remote sensingH.K. Lichtenthaler (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Chlorophyll Fluorescence Symposium, 6–8 June 1988. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1988. xiv + 366 pages. £54. ISBN 90-247-3787-7     

Air pollution and plant metabolism: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Air Pollution and Plant Metabolism,Munich, 1987

Book reviews

Air pollution and plant metabolism: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Air Pollution and Plant Metabolism, Munich, 1987S. Schulte-Hostede, N.M. Darrall, L.W. Blank and A.R. Wellburn (Eds.), London and New YorkL Elsevier Applied Science, 1988. xiv + 381 pages. £44.00. ISBN 1-85166-2830-8.     

Molecular biology of photosynthesis

Book reviews

Molecular biology of photosynthesisGovindjee, H.J. Bohnert, W. Bottomley, D.A. Bryant, J.E. Mullet, W.L. Ogren, H. Pakrasi, and C.R. Somerville (Eds.), Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989. xxvii + 815 pages. £130.00. ISBN 0-7923-0097-1     

Current options for cereal improvement: Double haploids,mutants and heterosis

Book reviews

Current options for cereal improvement: Double haploids, mutants and heterosisM. Maluszynski (Ed.), (Advances in Agricultural Biotechnology, Seris 24). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Guelph, Canada Proceedings of the first FAO/IAEA research co-ordination meeting on the use of induced mutations in connection with haploids and heterosis in creals, 8–12 December 1986, 19. vii + 214 pages. £32.50 ISBN 0-7923-0064-5     

The ‘greenhouse effect’ and UK agriculture

Book Review

The greenhouse effect and UK agricultureR.M. Bennett (Ed.), Reading: Centre for Agricultural Strategy, 1989. 144 pages, paperback. £15.00. ISBN 0-7049-0988-X     

Hormone action in plant development: A critical appraisal

Book Review

Hormone action in plant development: A critical appraisalG.V. Hoad, J.R. Lenton, M.B. Jackson and R.K. Atkin (Eds.), London: Butterworths, 1987. 315 pages. £21.00. ISBN 0408 007966     

Autumn sowing increases severity of pasmo (Mycosphaerella linicola) on linseed in the UK

Surveys and field experiments showed pasmo to be the most serious disease affecting UK winter linseed in the 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000 growing seasons. Survey data indicated that pasmo was widespread in England and Scotland, causing extensive loss of leaves and stem and capsule symptoms, on both winter and spring linseed crops. In winter linseed experiments at ADAS Boxworth and Rothamsted, when severe epidemics occurred (1997–98 and 1999–2000), control of pasmo with one or two MBC fungicide sprays increased yield. In experiments when severe pasmo epidemics did not occur (1998–99), fungicide applications did not increase yield. In all three growing seasons, large numbers of air-borne Mycosphaerella linicola ascospores were collected in the summer months. At the time when the winter linseed crop was emerging and becoming established in October/November, there were more air-borne M. linicola ascospores in 1999 than in 1998. April/May rainfall was much greater in 1998 (135 mm) and 2000 (223 mm), when severe pasmo epidemics developed by July, than in 1999 (68 mm) when disease severity in July was less. Regression analyses suggested that yield decreased as percentage area affected by pasmo on leaves or stems in July increased. The formulae relating yield loss to pasmo severity, derived from these experiments, were combined with disease survey data to estimate, retrospectively, the UK national losses from pasmo. Estimated national losses from pasmo on winter linseed, although >50% of crops were sprayed with fungicide, were approximately £2.9M in 1998, £1.6M in 1999 and £0.37M in 2000 (when the area of winter linseed had decreased greatly). Estimated combined losses on winter and spring linseed were approximately £14.8M in 1998, £34.9M in 1999 and £11.0M in 2000.     

Pharmacogenetics: Ethical Issues

Books reviewed:
Pharmacogenetics: Ethical Issues , Report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. London: Nuffield Council on Bioethics. 2003. xxiv + 103pp. £10 to all European countries (including postage); £15 to non-European countries (including postage); £0 to developing countries. Available free of charge at: http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/filelibrary/pdf/pharmacogenetics_report     

Book Reviews

M icrobial I nteractions and C ommunities Vol. 1. (1982). Edited by A.T. Bull & J.H. Slater. 567 pp. London, New York: Academic Press. £33.80, US $69.50.
B ioactive M icrobial P toducts : S earch and D iscovery (Special Publications of the Society for General Microbiology No. 6) (1982). Edited by J.D. Bu'Lock, L.J. Nisbet & O.J. Winstanley. 148 pp. London and New York: Academic Press. £10.00, US $20.50.
I solation and I dentification M ethods for F ood P oisoning O rganisms (Society for Applied Bacteriology Technical Series No. 17). (1982). Edited by Janet E.L. Corry, Diane Roberts & F.A. Skinner. 406 pp. London and New York: Acadmic Press. £30.00, US $55.50.
P lasmids (Study in Biology No. 142) (1982). M.J. Day. 52 pp. London: Edward Arnold. £2.50.
S mith's I ntroduction T o I ndustrial M ycology 7th Edition (1981). A.H.S. Onions, D. Allsopp & H.O.W. Eggins. 398 pp. London: Edward Arnold. £37.50.