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Interrelationships between Microorganisms and plants in soil
332
BOOK REVIEWS
M I C R O O R G A N I S M S A N D P L A N T S IN SOIL
Interrelationships between Microorganisms and Plants in Soil edited by V.V. Van~ura and F. Kunc. Proceedings of an International Symposium held in Liblice, Czechoslovakia, 22-27 June 1987. No. 18 in Developments in Soil Science series, 492 pp., Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1989, price US$147.25/Dfl. 280.00, ISBN 0-444-98922-6. Only part of the volume of articles presented during the international symposium organized by The Czechoslovakian Society of Microbiology on 'Interrelationships between Microorganisms and Plants in Soils' are included in this book which is termed as the Proceedings of that symposium. The 65 works out of about 100 presented during this meeting and included in this book were divided into four major sections, following the introductory lecture given by Prof. J.M. Lynch (U.K.). The first section entitled 'I. Symbiotic Microorganisms and Plants', is subdivided into (a) Rhizobia (8 articles) and (b) Mycorrhizal fungi ( 15 articles), a separation that was intended to focus the attention onto the two major segments of the symbiotic microbiota, namely, Rhizobia and Mycorrhizal fungi. Works associated with root systems and microorganisms comprise the second section of the symposium. The major part of the articles (20 out of a total of 24) come from Eastern European states (U.S.S.R., C.S.R., Poland and the D.D.R.). Works presented in Section III deal with soil-borne photopathogenic microorganisms (9 works); and 8 articles concentrating on biological preparations stimulating growth and improving health conditions of plants constitute the last section of this symposium. Although the major part of the articles published in this book originated in East European countries, the multitude of ideas explored, analysed and discussed exhibit a wide scope of scientific approaches to the complex field of interrelationships between microorganisms and plants in soils. In spite of this wide number of subjects there are only a few works among those presented in this book that refer indirectly to ecological balance and competition of the symbiotic pathogens and 'neutral microbiotic agent'. This fact seems a bit odd to the inquisitive reader in view of the fact that the meeting was convened and sponsored by the Departments of Microbial Ecology and Experimental Mycology of the Institute of Microbiology of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences. In spite of this, the book furnishes a good insight and a sound presentation
BOOKREVIEWS
333
of the state-of-the-art in the fields of knowledge concerning microorganisms and plants in the Rhizosphere. AVIVA HADAS and AMOS HADAS
Agricultural Research Organization Division of Soils and Water The Volcani Center P.O. Box 6 Bet-Dagan 50-220 Israel
SOIL EROSION
Soil Erosion Research Methods, by R. Lal (Editor). Soil and Water Conservation Society, 1988, Ankeny, IA, U.S.A. 244 pp, 39 figures, 21 tables, $16.00 ISBN 0-935734-18-X. Erosion, the most severe process of soil degradation, is apparent in many areas of the world and can be aggravated severely by inappropriate soil management practices. Estimates of annual soil loss on a global or regional scale are unreliable and a lack of quantitative data is obvious. Extrapolation of erosion data based on sediment yield from specific sites to larger areas of countries may be completely misleading and erroneous. Sound estimates of soil losses, however, are the first step towards an effective cut-down of erosion by appropriate control measures. This book presents an overview of different approaches for estimating erosion and leads to an intimate knowledge of methods to quantify erosion. Originally initiated by the Subcommission C "Soil Conservation and Environment" of the International Society of Soil Science the book was published in cooperation with the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Experts mainly from the United States but also from England and Australia have contributed to the 10 chapters of the book. All chapters deal with the different aspects, difficulties and possible pitfalls linked to quantitative erosion research. The starting point is the set-up of erosion plots and their size and location in the landscape, especially with respect to the adaptability of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) developed by Wischmeier and Smith. On the other hand smaller plot sizes, as usually chosen in laboratory tests, may bear justification for identification of basic erosion phases, not accurately observable in the field. Problems in linking downstream sediment yield to erosion processes in the watershed upstream are presented next in connection with relevant techniques to quantify the sediment delivery rate. Predicting on-site erosion processes from sediment yield may be questionable, however, as part of the eroded
BOOK REVIEWS
M I C R O O R G A N I S M S A N D P L A N T S IN SOIL
Interrelationships between Microorganisms and Plants in Soil edited by V.V. Van~ura and F. Kunc. Proceedings of an International Symposium held in Liblice, Czechoslovakia, 22-27 June 1987. No. 18 in Developments in Soil Science series, 492 pp., Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 1989, price US$147.25/Dfl. 280.00, ISBN 0-444-98922-6. Only part of the volume of articles presented during the international symposium organized by The Czechoslovakian Society of Microbiology on 'Interrelationships between Microorganisms and Plants in Soils' are included in this book which is termed as the Proceedings of that symposium. The 65 works out of about 100 presented during this meeting and included in this book were divided into four major sections, following the introductory lecture given by Prof. J.M. Lynch (U.K.). The first section entitled 'I. Symbiotic Microorganisms and Plants', is subdivided into (a) Rhizobia (8 articles) and (b) Mycorrhizal fungi ( 15 articles), a separation that was intended to focus the attention onto the two major segments of the symbiotic microbiota, namely, Rhizobia and Mycorrhizal fungi. Works associated with root systems and microorganisms comprise the second section of the symposium. The major part of the articles (20 out of a total of 24) come from Eastern European states (U.S.S.R., C.S.R., Poland and the D.D.R.). Works presented in Section III deal with soil-borne photopathogenic microorganisms (9 works); and 8 articles concentrating on biological preparations stimulating growth and improving health conditions of plants constitute the last section of this symposium. Although the major part of the articles published in this book originated in East European countries, the multitude of ideas explored, analysed and discussed exhibit a wide scope of scientific approaches to the complex field of interrelationships between microorganisms and plants in soils. In spite of this wide number of subjects there are only a few works among those presented in this book that refer indirectly to ecological balance and competition of the symbiotic pathogens and 'neutral microbiotic agent'. This fact seems a bit odd to the inquisitive reader in view of the fact that the meeting was convened and sponsored by the Departments of Microbial Ecology and Experimental Mycology of the Institute of Microbiology of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences. In spite of this, the book furnishes a good insight and a sound presentation
BOOKREVIEWS
333
of the state-of-the-art in the fields of knowledge concerning microorganisms and plants in the Rhizosphere. AVIVA HADAS and AMOS HADAS
Agricultural Research Organization Division of Soils and Water The Volcani Center P.O. Box 6 Bet-Dagan 50-220 Israel
SOIL EROSION
Soil Erosion Research Methods, by R. Lal (Editor). Soil and Water Conservation Society, 1988, Ankeny, IA, U.S.A. 244 pp, 39 figures, 21 tables, $16.00 ISBN 0-935734-18-X. Erosion, the most severe process of soil degradation, is apparent in many areas of the world and can be aggravated severely by inappropriate soil management practices. Estimates of annual soil loss on a global or regional scale are unreliable and a lack of quantitative data is obvious. Extrapolation of erosion data based on sediment yield from specific sites to larger areas of countries may be completely misleading and erroneous. Sound estimates of soil losses, however, are the first step towards an effective cut-down of erosion by appropriate control measures. This book presents an overview of different approaches for estimating erosion and leads to an intimate knowledge of methods to quantify erosion. Originally initiated by the Subcommission C "Soil Conservation and Environment" of the International Society of Soil Science the book was published in cooperation with the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Experts mainly from the United States but also from England and Australia have contributed to the 10 chapters of the book. All chapters deal with the different aspects, difficulties and possible pitfalls linked to quantitative erosion research. The starting point is the set-up of erosion plots and their size and location in the landscape, especially with respect to the adaptability of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) developed by Wischmeier and Smith. On the other hand smaller plot sizes, as usually chosen in laboratory tests, may bear justification for identification of basic erosion phases, not accurately observable in the field. Problems in linking downstream sediment yield to erosion processes in the watershed upstream are presented next in connection with relevant techniques to quantify the sediment delivery rate. Predicting on-site erosion processes from sediment yield may be questionable, however, as part of the eroded