Handbook of photosynthesis, 2nd edition. * Pessarakli M. (ed). 2005. Boca Raton: CRC Press. $159{middle dot}95 (hardback). 928 pp.

The motto of the PhotosynthesisCongress in Brisbane in 2001 was that ‘photosynthesissimply sustains all life on Earth’. For this reason, photosynthesisis a large, well-researched area, so it is especially ambitiousto put together a handbook that attempts to cover the wholesubject. This volume is definitely not a handbook in the sensethat it provides a compendium for the novice, but instead itis a conspectus of areas of     

Rengel, Z. (ed.) Handbook of plant growth. pH as the master variable

Protons are ubiquitous in the aqueous environment that providesthe stage for life. Moreover, the proton is a key player ina multitude of essential processes; and while its signature,the pH of an aqueous solution, is readily measured in a widevariety of circumstances and locations, this in itself doesnot lead immediately to a full appreciation of its mechanisticimportance. So the proton is a legitimate target for the investigationsof scientists from many disciplines, and this book, which aimsto provide a unified view of the role of pH in plant growth,draws on