- Email: [email protected]
Nitrate in soil, plants and animals
160
Biological Conservation
meilleurs philosophes biologiques actuels. I1 doit 6tre lu par tous ceux qu'int6ressent les probl6mes d'am6nagement et de conservation. I1 constitue surtout, comme le souligne le sous-titre de l'ouvrage un 'guide h l'usage des nouveaux maitres de la terre'. Si une nouvelle politique vis/t vis de notre environnement doit sortir de la r6volution que pr6conise l'auteur, elle devra beaucoup/t Max Nicholson. JEAN DORST
Nitrate in Soil, Plants and Animals, by HARRY WALTERS. Soil Association, Haughley Research Farms, Haughley, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England (reprinted from J. Soil Assn., 16(3), 149-70, July 1970), 22 pp., 6 tables & 1 fig., 21.5 x 13.8 cm, 5s., 1970. As a contribution to European Conservation Year, the Soil Association has commissioned a survey of the world's scientific literature on nitrate in soil, plants, and animals. One hundred and eighty-nine selected references of papers published in USA, Canada, UK, USSR, Germany, France, Holland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand, are included. The dangers of over-nitration of the soil are clearly documented, and possible sequelae of nitrate uptake into plants on the health of animals are indicated, together with the adverse effects of such over-chemicalization on soil structure and fertility.
Grassland Improvement, by A. T. SEMPLE. Plant Science Monographs of Leonard Hill Books, London: xxii ÷ 400 pp., 25 x 15 cm, 150s., 1970. What is grassland? In the context of this attractive book prepared by A. T. Semple, grassland includes all aspects of forage production for animal feeding. In fact, the breadth of coverage indicates that the book might well have been entitled Grassland Management, Utilization, and Improvement. The author begins with a useful background of the history and importance of grasslands and their geographic distribution--including Arid Natural Grasslands, Humid Grasslands in the Temperate and Tropical Zones, and Highaltitude and High-latitude Grasslands. The components of grasslands and related natural grazing-lands are explained-including grasses, legumes, rushes, saltings, and cryptogams. Forage from trees and shrubs, and browsing, are dealt with in a separate chapter of great interest because numerous useful species are described and information is presented on nutritive values and problems of management. The chapter on nutritive properties and defects of pasturage describes deficiences exhibited by grasslands in meeting the needs of livestock. This is followed by chapters which discuss limitations in specific regions and show numerous ways of initiating improvement. A chapter on grazing in arid and semi-arid lands adequately covers the intricate nature of problems of managing these l a n d s - including recurrent droughts, poor seasonal distribution of precipitation, water development, and nomadism. Humid regions present equally complex problems. These chapters as well as one on grazing-animal behaviour lay considerable stress on the importance of plant/animal relationships in grassland management.
The author combines his very extensive background knowledge and experience with an intensive review of published data to demonstrate the technical and administrative aspects of how grasslands can best be managed and improved under a variety of ecological conditions. Techniques of range management, seeding, soil and water conservation, and management of grazing livestock, are explained and the advice on grazing systems is interesting. Methods for controlling undesirable vegetation, pests, and diseases, are outlined, and the usefulness of burning is pointed o u t - provided that it is according to plan and carefully controlled. Action programmes are necessary to implement proper grassland management and improvement, especially in developing countries. Emphasis is placed on the needs for national programmes based on the specific needs of the country involved, and the author provides examples of successful programmes in many parts of the world. These serve as guidelines for initiating new programmes and should be required reading, not only for grassland specialists, but also for policy makers in developing countries. The appendix on grazing laws and regulations is also of particular interest to workers in countries that are still in the process of developing adequate legislation to deal with grassland problems. Unfortunately, the information presented is rather old and a study of newer legislation is needed. Finally, emphasis is placed on the necessity for strengthened research into all of the aspects of grassland production and utilization. Research must be dynamic in nature, and continuing programmes should be organized to guide development of suitable programmes. Excellent photographs vividly illustrate the statements and conclusions made by the author. The extensive bibliography covers the period from 1917 to 1969 (one reference), with the great majority of references from 1950 onwards. Unfortunately, the time required for publication makes it difficult for any book to be up-to-date. However, more recent literature on many subjects would be helpful; for example, forest grazing in the USA (page 92) and underground organs of perennial grasses (page 106). One would also appreciate references to grassland areas of USSR, West and North Africa, and particularly more recent work on fodder shrubs such as Atriplex and Opuntia. There is no mention of the significant Israeli work on water harvesting in desert zones, and only limited information on cultivated pastures and meadows in Europe and similar temperate zones where the use of new varieties represents a major aspect of improving production. The pasture terminology as presented will doubtless raise some questions in the minds of grassland researchers and not all will accept the terms as defined. It may well be, for instance, that a 'permanent' pasture in Australia consists of annual species such as Styosanthes humilis. It would have been useful also for readers whose mother tongue is not English to find vernacular names always associated with botanical ones. In general, the format of the book is excellent. However, two conversion tables (pages xix-xxi and 328-330) may seem to be a bit too much. It is also rather disconcerting to find a cross-section of a turkey-nest tank with no explanation following page 32 and the discussion of this on page 195. This book is certainly of great value for all those involved in grass production, utilization, improvement, and research. It would serve as a suitable textbook in beginning and intermediate grassland management classes where an instructor could integrate related items which occur in
Biological Conservation
meilleurs philosophes biologiques actuels. I1 doit 6tre lu par tous ceux qu'int6ressent les probl6mes d'am6nagement et de conservation. I1 constitue surtout, comme le souligne le sous-titre de l'ouvrage un 'guide h l'usage des nouveaux maitres de la terre'. Si une nouvelle politique vis/t vis de notre environnement doit sortir de la r6volution que pr6conise l'auteur, elle devra beaucoup/t Max Nicholson. JEAN DORST
Nitrate in Soil, Plants and Animals, by HARRY WALTERS. Soil Association, Haughley Research Farms, Haughley, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England (reprinted from J. Soil Assn., 16(3), 149-70, July 1970), 22 pp., 6 tables & 1 fig., 21.5 x 13.8 cm, 5s., 1970. As a contribution to European Conservation Year, the Soil Association has commissioned a survey of the world's scientific literature on nitrate in soil, plants, and animals. One hundred and eighty-nine selected references of papers published in USA, Canada, UK, USSR, Germany, France, Holland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand, are included. The dangers of over-nitration of the soil are clearly documented, and possible sequelae of nitrate uptake into plants on the health of animals are indicated, together with the adverse effects of such over-chemicalization on soil structure and fertility.
Grassland Improvement, by A. T. SEMPLE. Plant Science Monographs of Leonard Hill Books, London: xxii ÷ 400 pp., 25 x 15 cm, 150s., 1970. What is grassland? In the context of this attractive book prepared by A. T. Semple, grassland includes all aspects of forage production for animal feeding. In fact, the breadth of coverage indicates that the book might well have been entitled Grassland Management, Utilization, and Improvement. The author begins with a useful background of the history and importance of grasslands and their geographic distribution--including Arid Natural Grasslands, Humid Grasslands in the Temperate and Tropical Zones, and Highaltitude and High-latitude Grasslands. The components of grasslands and related natural grazing-lands are explained-including grasses, legumes, rushes, saltings, and cryptogams. Forage from trees and shrubs, and browsing, are dealt with in a separate chapter of great interest because numerous useful species are described and information is presented on nutritive values and problems of management. The chapter on nutritive properties and defects of pasturage describes deficiences exhibited by grasslands in meeting the needs of livestock. This is followed by chapters which discuss limitations in specific regions and show numerous ways of initiating improvement. A chapter on grazing in arid and semi-arid lands adequately covers the intricate nature of problems of managing these l a n d s - including recurrent droughts, poor seasonal distribution of precipitation, water development, and nomadism. Humid regions present equally complex problems. These chapters as well as one on grazing-animal behaviour lay considerable stress on the importance of plant/animal relationships in grassland management.
The author combines his very extensive background knowledge and experience with an intensive review of published data to demonstrate the technical and administrative aspects of how grasslands can best be managed and improved under a variety of ecological conditions. Techniques of range management, seeding, soil and water conservation, and management of grazing livestock, are explained and the advice on grazing systems is interesting. Methods for controlling undesirable vegetation, pests, and diseases, are outlined, and the usefulness of burning is pointed o u t - provided that it is according to plan and carefully controlled. Action programmes are necessary to implement proper grassland management and improvement, especially in developing countries. Emphasis is placed on the needs for national programmes based on the specific needs of the country involved, and the author provides examples of successful programmes in many parts of the world. These serve as guidelines for initiating new programmes and should be required reading, not only for grassland specialists, but also for policy makers in developing countries. The appendix on grazing laws and regulations is also of particular interest to workers in countries that are still in the process of developing adequate legislation to deal with grassland problems. Unfortunately, the information presented is rather old and a study of newer legislation is needed. Finally, emphasis is placed on the necessity for strengthened research into all of the aspects of grassland production and utilization. Research must be dynamic in nature, and continuing programmes should be organized to guide development of suitable programmes. Excellent photographs vividly illustrate the statements and conclusions made by the author. The extensive bibliography covers the period from 1917 to 1969 (one reference), with the great majority of references from 1950 onwards. Unfortunately, the time required for publication makes it difficult for any book to be up-to-date. However, more recent literature on many subjects would be helpful; for example, forest grazing in the USA (page 92) and underground organs of perennial grasses (page 106). One would also appreciate references to grassland areas of USSR, West and North Africa, and particularly more recent work on fodder shrubs such as Atriplex and Opuntia. There is no mention of the significant Israeli work on water harvesting in desert zones, and only limited information on cultivated pastures and meadows in Europe and similar temperate zones where the use of new varieties represents a major aspect of improving production. The pasture terminology as presented will doubtless raise some questions in the minds of grassland researchers and not all will accept the terms as defined. It may well be, for instance, that a 'permanent' pasture in Australia consists of annual species such as Styosanthes humilis. It would have been useful also for readers whose mother tongue is not English to find vernacular names always associated with botanical ones. In general, the format of the book is excellent. However, two conversion tables (pages xix-xxi and 328-330) may seem to be a bit too much. It is also rather disconcerting to find a cross-section of a turkey-nest tank with no explanation following page 32 and the discussion of this on page 195. This book is certainly of great value for all those involved in grass production, utilization, improvement, and research. It would serve as a suitable textbook in beginning and intermediate grassland management classes where an instructor could integrate related items which occur in