Vegetable seed production

188 phases of growth are illustrated by excellent photographs and the planting of pollinator trees is strongly recommended. Orchard management is dealt with comprehensively, and the details given of climatic requirements, shelter from strong winds, plant density, tree training and pruning are very adequately described. There is, however, only a brief reference to soil requirements, and the details on irrigation are rather imprecise. Fertilizer requirements and various deficiencies such as those of manganese and magnesium are described in adequate detail, and the major pests and diseases encountered in Japan and New Zealand are described, with currently recommended control measures. The response of various cultivars to harvesting, storing and processing techniques is well described and illustrated, including the effects of temperature on fruit colour, the content of soluble solids and shelf-life behaviour of both astringent and non-astringent fruit types. Cold storage, controlledatmosphere storage and cool storage in polythene bags are also described. Due to the high tannin content of persimmons, the main processing operations are limited to freezing and drying; canning is only partially successful. Chapter 7 gives an excellent account of the causes and removal of astringency, and the final chapter examines the potential exploitation of the Japanese and other markets by persimmon exports from New Zealand in out-of-season periods. This publication represents the most comprehensive account of the characteristics and cultivation of the persimmon fruit which has appeared in recent years, and should be of particular importance to fruit growers in New Zealand who wish to explore the potential markets for this fruit in South East Asia, particularly Japan. H.D. TINDALL Silsoe College Silsoe Bedford MK45 4DT Gt. Britain

VEGETABLESEEDS Vegetable S e e d P r o d u c t i o n by Raymond A.T. George. Longham Group,

Longham House, Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE, England, 1985, 318 pp., price £30.00, ISBN 0-582-46090-5. The first 100 pages of this book give an acceptable review of the basic principles of vegetable seed growing, which includes (1) organization (covering development, the role of the United Nations and the F.A.O., development aid, breeders' rights, names, classification, trials and introduction of new varieties, lists of varieties and seed certification); (2) principles of seed production (covering photo-periodicity, vernalization, growth regulators,

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gametocides, pollination, hybrids); (3) agronomy (covering seed production areas, protection from wind, cultivation, cultivar maintenance, selection methods, zoning, disease control, pelleting and coating of seeds); (4) harvesting, processing and storage; (5) seed handling, quality control and distribution. The author is aware of the impossibility of giving a complete treatment of all these aspects of seed production. After each chapter he gives a list of literature sources divided into "references" and "further reading". The following + 200 pages give information on seed growing of individual species belonging to the Chenopodiaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae, Alliaceae, Gramineae, Amaranthaceae and Malvaceae. Here too, after each chapter, is a list with references and further reading. The treatment of the separate species is systematic and condensed, but often too condensed to use the b o o k as a guide for seed production. It is somewhat amazing that F, seed production, which is increasing rapidly in the vegetable industry, is often mentioned in a few lines only, and with very little or no information on the genetic aspects. F o r example, in the chapter on cole crops, the system of incompatibility which is presently in use is n o t mentioned; in the chapter on spinach, there is no indication of whether female rows are obtained by roguing all male plants from the rows which are to be used as female parents, or by using lines which are almost or completely female. In the chapter on carrots, the wellknown use of two types of sterility (shriveled anthers and petaloid flowers) is not mentioned. According to the preface, the b o o k is "designed for use by students and those engaged in vegetable seed programs in temperate and tropical regions in the world . . . it is hoped that the seed production specialist will find it a useful reference when called upon to deal with unfamiliar crops". Students will find much useful condensed information in the b o o k , but only if they use it in combination with other literature and have aquired, or are in the process of aquiring, a reasonable level of knowledge about plant breeding. Seed specialists of seed-houses, who in many cases are not the breeders of the varieties, and those engaged with practical seed-growing will be disappointed if they expect to be able to grow seed of an unknown crop using only this book. The author is to be complimented on this book, which is based on material used for teaching students in the U.K. and on experience with vegetable seed programs in developing countries. The b o o k would have gained in value, however, if some chapters had provided more genetic background information and if it had included more information from seed-houses and from practical courses. J.M. ANDEWEG Royal Sluis The Netherlands