Pests of Fruit Crops - by D.V. Alford, Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Peas and Beans - by A.J. Biddle & N.D. Cattlin, Plant Nematodes of Agricultural Importance - by J. Bridge & J.L. Starr and Vegetable Diseases - by S.T. Koike, P. Gladders, A.O. Paulus

Abstract

Pests of Fruit Crops . Alford, D.V. . 462pp . £95 . ISBN 978-1-84076-051-4 . Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Peas and Beans . Biddle, A.J. & Cattlin, N.D. . 128pp . £35 . ISBN 978-1-84076-018-7 . Plant Nematodes of Agricultural Importance . Bridge, J. & Starr, J.L. , 152pp . £40 . ISBN 978-1-84076-063-7 . Vegetable Diseases . Koike, S.T., Gladders, P., Paulus, A.O. . 448pp . £95 . ISBN 978-1-84076-075-0 . All titles 27 × 20 cm . London UK : Manson Publishing Ltd [http://www.mansonpublishing.com/science/sci_plant.html] , 2007 (hardback) . Manson Publishing Ltd have published four new books in 2007 in their Plant Protection Handbook Series bringing the total to a dozen assorted Colour Handbook and Atlas titles. Under commissioning editor Jill Northcott the current publications once again deliver superb colour photographic images of pests and diseases with colour reproduction from Hong Kong and printing done in Spain. Together with generally excellent supporting text, readers will find quality and quantity of information in each book. David Alford's ‘Pests of Fruit Crops’ is European-based in scope and seeks to replace ‘A Colour Atlas of Fruit Pests’ published in 1984. Unlike the earlier text the present book excludes information on control – the author pointing out that available pesticides and particular strategies differ significantly between countries, and anyway are being constantly reviewed. The other three titles, however, offer advice, albeit briefly, on tackling parasites and disorders although each is differently labelled: ‘controlling’ in vegetables; ‘prevention and control’ in pulses; whilst Bridge & Starr provide readers with ‘management’ for dealing with nematodes. Diagnosticians and many others too, involved in crop production will find these new titles useful additions and perhaps replacements for existing library sources. I am sure all the information, including good images, are available via web sites and search engines, but here is fully indexed, high quality collated information by leading UK and US experts. Matching this scholarship is the high quality production producing books solid in content and form. In part, these titles compete with the APS Disease Compendium Series – the latter involving multiple authorship by experts with a handful of references for each listed disease or disorder. In the Handbooks, apart from ‘Vegetable Diseases’ there is just a single page or so of selected bibliography. In the vegetable-text all diseases of main-crops, or all of the specialty (this book adopts US spelling) crops, have listed references. This is both generous and, of course, ambitious and so mistakes will occur. For example, in late blight of tomato there are two errors with authors (one misspelt, the other missing) in two of the 21 listed references. Furthermore, and despite this long list, the authors are less than lucid in explaining different aspects of the interesting recent changes in the population biology of Phytophthora infestans. However, this is a minor gripe when considering the authors are covering more than 250 diseases and some disorders. In each case the supporting text is sectioned into; introduction and significance; symptoms and diagnostic features; causal agent; disease cycle; and control. In this particular book, Koike et al. rightly claim in the preface that the supporting colour images will increase recognition and diagnosis of diseases, of mainly temperate vegetable crops. The same can be said too, of the three other titles. For example, although Alford's book predominantly illustrates fruit pests in situ, symptoms of capsid attack confirmed these pests were responsible for recent damage to my father-in-law's apple and pear crops. One problem with an expanding list of titles is that of overlap. Consequently, approximately 50 pages on diseases of peas and beans are covered by both Koike et al. and Biddle and Cattlin. Diagnosticians, growers, teachers and students will appreciate these particular titles and benefit by consulting these books and others in the Series. They are not overpriced and indeed BSPP-members can purchase them at 20% discount, see Members’ Area at http://www.bspp.org.uk for further details.