Seeds handbook: biology, production, processing and storage. 2nd edn. Desai BB. 2004. New York: Marcel Dekker.£115 (hardback). 787 pp.

Abstract

This book comprises four parts, the first three as identified in the title, and a fourth described as newer seed biotechnologies. Almost half of the book is devoted to seed production, and particularly practical aspects of producing seeds of improved varieties for over 80 crops. This coverage is considerable and includes not only cereal, grain legume, oilseed, sugar, fibre and vegetable crops, but also seeds of grasses, forage legumes, flowers and other ornamentals.The range of the book is therefore extremely comprehensive, but not surprisingly this is associated with an inexpert coverage of important subjects that lacks originality. A great deal of relevant literature is summarized, but the sequencing and synthesis of information is at best puzzling. There is a great deal of summary reportage of results with rather less attention paid to interpretation, with the latter often ascribed to others and frequent use of phrases such as ‘according to …’. Equally chronology seems to be ignored, with equal prominence given to ideas from publications from (in one case I found, albeit not cited) as long as a century ago, as to more recent research. This gives quite a false impression to readers. One example is the following sentence (page 760) ‘More research is requested to understand the biochemistry and physiology of bolting in crop plants’. This view is supported by reference to a book chapter published a quarter of a century ago, however.