Australasian Plant Pathology Volume 27 Number 2 1998

This comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the pathogen Rhizoctonia developed from the Second International Symposium on Rhizoctonia held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands from 27–30 June 1995. Of the 50 chapters in the book, 30 are extended reviews of papers presented at the Symposium.

The aim of the book was to summarise the vast amount of information that has accumulated on all aspects of Rhizoctonia since the book ‘Biology and Pathology of Rhizoctonia solani’ by J.R. Parmeter was published in 1970. This book arose from the first Symposium on Rhizoctonia held in Florida in 1965.

Rhizoctonia is a soilborne fungus that has occupied the attention of mycologists and pathologists for almost 200 years. Members of this genus are significant pathogens on some of the most important plant species grown throughout the world, including cereals, cotton, sugarbeet, potato and other field crops, vegetables and horticultural crops, pasture species, turfgrasses and forest trees. Other members are mycorrhizal, some are saprophytes and some are biocontrol agents.

There are 50 chapters in the book (including the introduction), with seven on taxonomy and evolution (three on classical methods and four on biochemical and molecular methods), four on genetics and pathogenicity, two on plant-pathogen interactions, seven on ecology and disease dynamics, 15 on disease occurrence and management in different crops and 14 on disease control (three on cultural control, seven on biological control, two on disease resistance, one on chemical control and one on integrated control).

There is a vast amount of information in tabular and graphical form as well as a large number of high- quality black and white illustrations. There are also 30 colour plates illustrating disease symptoms.

There can be no doubt that the aim of the book to gather together large amounts of information has been more than adequately fulfilled by the collection of chapters by some 79 authors, all with considerable expertise on the genus Rhizoctonia. As often happens with such a large number of chapters by a large and diverse group of authors, the consistency of language and style leaves a little to be desired. This can only be remedied by stringent editing and I feel that there are numerous examples where this has not occurred. In some of the chapters the English is of a very poor standard, occasionally making it difficult to understand what is intended. The quality of technical editing is reflected by the numerous, although small, errors and inconsistencies. These can be found right from the very beginning in such things as inconsistencies in the style of chapter headings and even to the point where the subject of the book (Rhizoctonia) is misspelt in a chapter heading in the Table of Contents (page vi). The arrangement of references in the lists is somewhat unusual, with frequent examples of incorrect alphabetical order. I found the spelling of ‘courtesy’ in the colour plate section somewhat unusual, with some apparent confusion with another similar word ‘curtsey’.

Aside from these deficiencies, the book will be an invaluable source of information on all aspects of the behaviour of the fungus Rhizoctonia. Unfortunately, because of its high price there may be few who can afford to purchase it and enjoy having it on their bookshelves.

R.L. Dodman

The Pathology of Food and Pasture Legumes

David Allen and Jill Lenné present a wealth of useful pathology in an attractively packaged, hard covered volume. We are reminded of the importance of the family Leguminosae in world agriculture, particularly as a major contributor of plant protein; pulses represent the primary protein source for at least 700 million people. This value is captured in the evocative cover montage depicting a woman engaged in the simple act of gathering pulse seed for the family meal. Not all legume pathology resides in the pea, bean and lupin fields and pastures of Australasia.

Allen and Lenné faced an enormous task in editing a book with this title. In rationalising their approach they allude to Plant Pathology by Butler and Jones (Macmillan, London, 1949), a landmark among biological publications. However, biological science and plant pathology have reached far beyond the times of Butler and Jones. Does this book adequately document advances in legume pathology? Does the material provide a fresh and inspiring view of legume diseases and an honest account of their significance?

There are legumes and there are legumes. Arguably a ‘legume scientist’, at whom this book admits to being pitched, will not consider it as a total package. A tropical pasture pathologist may consider there is small value in a book which devotes just a single chapter to this subject while a copy of Diseases of Tropical Pasture Plants edited by Lenné and Trutmann just four years ago (CAB International, 1994) sits on their bookshelf. Why would a temperate legume pathologist be at all interested in chapters on the pathology of peanuts and pigeon pea? Well, why not? The editors are clearly trying to draw together the experiences and knowledge of pathologists who have worked with legumes as an exercise in broad view pathology. As we have become more and more specialised and increasingly narrow in our professional views and opinions, we have lost something: an ability to consider and be influenced by the possibilities in surrounding pathology. A single book could never hope to change this attitude but this one gives a glimpse of how an author living and working in Belfast, Northern Ireland might reveal something relevant in his chapter on Clover Diseases to a reader concerned with rust on common bean. In reviewing this book I was delighted to let my thoughts dwell for a while on past and present issues in my own work as I contemplated similarities and possible ideas for their resolution.

Allen and Lenné deal with 11 legumes (groundnut, soyabean, common bean cowpea, pea, faba bean, lentil, chickpea, pigeon pea, lupins and clover) in separate chapters and a collection of tropical pasture legumes in another. Two further chapters address general issues concerning diseases as constraints to production, and how these diseases might be better managed. I can think of no other major pulses, leguminous oil-seed crops and pastures which have a claim to the spotlight. By restricting coverage in this way the focus remains sharp. Some chapters though are more focussed and informative than others. Perhaps an author’s familiarity with a topic (especially in the chapter on Diseases of Groundnut) denies a less informed reader one or two bits of information. Overall the authors have presented their chapters well and the editors deserve credit for providing readers with a very tight and consistent chapter format which encourages quick comparisons between similar diseases across chapters.

There is considered use of high quality illustrations in all chapters. The book is not overloaded with photographs preferring instead to restrict them to simple descriptive accompaniments to the major diseases. Some chapters (Diseases of Pigeon pea) make good use of line drawings, tables and figures to enhance their texts. This style provides easily accessible grabs of information which the reader can quickly revisit as needed.

The knowledge shared by all the contributors in their well-referenced chapters is useful and often enlightening. The purpose is no doubt to aid the advancement of legume pathology beyond Butler and Jones, and beyond the pages to other fields and other laboratories. Used as a base for this it is entirely imaginable that within the solid pages of The Pathology of Food and Pasture Legumes there will be for some the inspiration to address old and new issues with a renewed vigour. It is of course more than, but certainly fits the traditions of, a good reference book.

R.D.Davis