- Email: [email protected]
Genetic improvement of field crops
174
Book Reviews/ Field CropsResearch39 (1994) 171-175
esses influencing crop productivity and of interest to agronomists. The other half focuses on strategies for attacks on other aspects of crop productivity by genetic engineering, in chapters of such detail and scope that they would be mainly of interest to would-be molecular plant breeders. In the absence of a synthetic summary by the editor, I did not emerge with the clear perspective and sense of overall priorities he foretold. It is a book for sampling by many different kinds of plant scientist.
L.T. Evans CSIRO Division of Plant Industry GPO Box 1600 Canberra A.C.T. 2601 Australia
Genetic Improvement of Field Crops
Genetic Improvement of Field Crops. G.A. Slafer (Edi-
tor). Marcel Dekker, New York, 1994. 470 pp., Hardback, US$165, ISBN 0-8247-8980-6.
This collection of reviews by different authors covers nine major crops: bread wheat, oats, barley, maize, soybean, sunflower, cotton, potato, and rice. Based on the title, it might be assumed to be a book on plant breeding, but the reviews primarily address the physiological changes that have occurred as a result of varietal improvement, rather than breeding methodology. The editor notes in the preface that the purpose of the book is to evaluate how past yield gains have been achieved, and to develop ideotypes for future improvement efforts. While the chapters differ considerably in emphasis depending on the interests of the authors, each chapter does present a comparison of early and recent varieties, and describes in general terms the characteristics of a desirable crop ideotype. The book is primarily intended to serve as a reference for researchers and advanced students. Contributors to the book are from eight different countries, and the extensive literature reviewed reflects
an international perspective. The chapter on potato summarizes a number of references written in Spanish which might be otherwise unavailable to many readers, but other chapters review almost exclusively literature published in English. All chapters except that on rice primarily emphasize crop production in temperate zones, but some other chapters also mention genetic improvement in tolerance to stresses typical of tropical regions. Most contributors specialize in the area of crop physiology. Chapters on bread wheat, oats, maize, soybean, sunflower, potato, and rice provide thorough, up-to-date summaries of the physiological bases of yield improvement at the plant or canopy level of organization. They address the relative importance of changes in photosynthetic rates, leaf area development, phenology, nutrient utilization, and dry matter partitioning. Authors also discuss changes in yield components and in tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses that have accompanied varietal improvement. Authors of these chapters generally develop a conceptual model to describe yield generation and identify opportunities for future improvement, but the potential applications of computer simulations are mentioned only for sunflower and soybean. Whereas most chapters review the available literature, the chapter on maize presents useful unpublished data as well. One objective of reviewing the results of genetic improvement is to allow a better application of the techniques of molecular genetics to crop improvement. The coverage of genetics is, however, somewhat limited. Only the chapter on barley, which is written from the perspective of a plant breeder, addresses in depth the chromosome mapping of key traits and the extent to which genetic mechanisms are understood. The omission of this information for other crops should not detract from the usefulness of the book for crop physiologists, but it does highlight a continuing weakness of integration in the area of physiological genetics. The chapter on cotton describes the historical importance of the crop, selection methods used in its improvement, and relationships between the year of release of cultivats and lint yields. The editing and presentation of the book are generally excellent. The text is clear and readable, and a complete index is included. The book differs in several ways from previous volumes that have reviewed the physiology of major commodities. The focus of all
Book Reviews / Field Crops Research 39 (1994) 171-175
chapters initially is retrospective, and considers expressed genetic variation in traits that are important determinants of yield. Most authors confront the difficult task of developing an ideotype for future breeding efforts, based on changes in the crop that have been successful in the past. The book does not include introductory chapters that address crop physiology in a general or descriptive sense, and it will probably be most
175
useful to researchers working with one or more of the crops reviewed.
H.R. Lafitte CIMMYT Lisboa 27, Apdo. Postal 6-641 06600 Mexico, D.F. Mexico
Book Reviews/ Field CropsResearch39 (1994) 171-175
esses influencing crop productivity and of interest to agronomists. The other half focuses on strategies for attacks on other aspects of crop productivity by genetic engineering, in chapters of such detail and scope that they would be mainly of interest to would-be molecular plant breeders. In the absence of a synthetic summary by the editor, I did not emerge with the clear perspective and sense of overall priorities he foretold. It is a book for sampling by many different kinds of plant scientist.
L.T. Evans CSIRO Division of Plant Industry GPO Box 1600 Canberra A.C.T. 2601 Australia
Genetic Improvement of Field Crops
Genetic Improvement of Field Crops. G.A. Slafer (Edi-
tor). Marcel Dekker, New York, 1994. 470 pp., Hardback, US$165, ISBN 0-8247-8980-6.
This collection of reviews by different authors covers nine major crops: bread wheat, oats, barley, maize, soybean, sunflower, cotton, potato, and rice. Based on the title, it might be assumed to be a book on plant breeding, but the reviews primarily address the physiological changes that have occurred as a result of varietal improvement, rather than breeding methodology. The editor notes in the preface that the purpose of the book is to evaluate how past yield gains have been achieved, and to develop ideotypes for future improvement efforts. While the chapters differ considerably in emphasis depending on the interests of the authors, each chapter does present a comparison of early and recent varieties, and describes in general terms the characteristics of a desirable crop ideotype. The book is primarily intended to serve as a reference for researchers and advanced students. Contributors to the book are from eight different countries, and the extensive literature reviewed reflects
an international perspective. The chapter on potato summarizes a number of references written in Spanish which might be otherwise unavailable to many readers, but other chapters review almost exclusively literature published in English. All chapters except that on rice primarily emphasize crop production in temperate zones, but some other chapters also mention genetic improvement in tolerance to stresses typical of tropical regions. Most contributors specialize in the area of crop physiology. Chapters on bread wheat, oats, maize, soybean, sunflower, potato, and rice provide thorough, up-to-date summaries of the physiological bases of yield improvement at the plant or canopy level of organization. They address the relative importance of changes in photosynthetic rates, leaf area development, phenology, nutrient utilization, and dry matter partitioning. Authors also discuss changes in yield components and in tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses that have accompanied varietal improvement. Authors of these chapters generally develop a conceptual model to describe yield generation and identify opportunities for future improvement, but the potential applications of computer simulations are mentioned only for sunflower and soybean. Whereas most chapters review the available literature, the chapter on maize presents useful unpublished data as well. One objective of reviewing the results of genetic improvement is to allow a better application of the techniques of molecular genetics to crop improvement. The coverage of genetics is, however, somewhat limited. Only the chapter on barley, which is written from the perspective of a plant breeder, addresses in depth the chromosome mapping of key traits and the extent to which genetic mechanisms are understood. The omission of this information for other crops should not detract from the usefulness of the book for crop physiologists, but it does highlight a continuing weakness of integration in the area of physiological genetics. The chapter on cotton describes the historical importance of the crop, selection methods used in its improvement, and relationships between the year of release of cultivats and lint yields. The editing and presentation of the book are generally excellent. The text is clear and readable, and a complete index is included. The book differs in several ways from previous volumes that have reviewed the physiology of major commodities. The focus of all
Book Reviews / Field Crops Research 39 (1994) 171-175
chapters initially is retrospective, and considers expressed genetic variation in traits that are important determinants of yield. Most authors confront the difficult task of developing an ideotype for future breeding efforts, based on changes in the crop that have been successful in the past. The book does not include introductory chapters that address crop physiology in a general or descriptive sense, and it will probably be most
175
useful to researchers working with one or more of the crops reviewed.
H.R. Lafitte CIMMYT Lisboa 27, Apdo. Postal 6-641 06600 Mexico, D.F. Mexico