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Book review Mycorrhizal Biology Edited by K.G. Mukerji, B.P. Chamola and J. Singh, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2000, 336 pp., ISBN 0-30604-629-4, $145 The book Mycorrhizal Biology is a compilation of chapters by dierent authors, the majority being researchers in institutions in India. The editors of the book indicate that it was their goal to provide a review of mycorrhizae with respect to microbial biotechnology, microbial ecology and applied mycology. Thus, the emphases are on the fungal side of the symbiosis. The choice of topics was in¯uenced strongly by the problems facing crop production in India that include salinity, contamination by metals, poor soil structure and limited access to fertilizers. As a consequence, several chapters focus on areas that have not been previously targeted in other current reviews of mycorrhizae. The two chapters on mycorrhizae in micropropagation of plants and the chapter on the impact of agricultural pesticides on the mycorrhizal fungi are such examples. With this direc- tive, the book has an applied rather than a basic science approach. Perhaps it would have been more informative for the prospective reader to use the term ``Applied'' in the title. Most of the chapters are factual in nature. Some have a brief summary in which areas for future studies are outlined. Others discuss speci®c research ®ndings almost in a paper-like format. Because one of the strengths of the book is that each chapter is referenced extensively the book makes a useful library volume. Unfortunately, in spite of the 2000 publication date, most of the refer- ences are from 1997 and earlier so that the information is not as current as other in print Mycorrhizal reviews. This time lag is especially detrimental in the area of molecular biology, molecular genetics and biochemistry. The lack of a combined reference index for the whole volume is disappointing. Also, the text is marred by numerous typographical and grammatical errors. In general, the text is not strong in chemistry, bio- chemistry and molecular biology of the plant in the mycorrhizal associations. Thus, it is not the best acqui- sition for a reader requiring summaries of current information in these areas. The chapter by Man- delbaum and Piche (``The role of root exudates in arbuscular mycorrhizal initiation'') introduces the link- age between biology and the chemical scene. For instance, whether plant secondary products may deter mycorrhizal growth in some of the non-mycorrhizal brassicas is discussed. Similarly, whether other phyto- chemicals initiate changes in the fungal gene expression essential for the symbiosis to become established is reviewed. The book exempli®es still how little is known at the molecular/biochemical level about mycorrhizal symbiosis, especially in comparison with the knowledge base for the other plant root symbionts, the nitrogen- ®xing bacteria. The whole-organism approach of the volume reiter- ates information presented in the classic book Mycor- rhizal symbiosis by Harley and Smith published in 1983. Several of the chapters in Mycorrhizal Biology introduce the extensive diversities of the types of fungi and the morphologies of the symbiosis collectively termed mycorrhizae. Indeed the volume is timely in considera- tion of biological diversity and the potential for its rapid loss through current agricultural practices. For instance, in the chapter on mycorrhizae in orchids a novel mycorrhizal fungus (Piriformospora indica) is discussed. In this same chapter we are reminded of the ®ne line between the fungi that act as bene®cials for the plant host in the mycorrhizal association and those that become detrimental as pathogens. Thus, those readers with a biochemical and molecular background may be stimulated towards formulating novel research direc- tions by the content of the chapters. Anne Anderson Biology Department Utah State University Logan UT 84322-5305, USA PII: S0031-9422(00)00365-4 0031-9422/01/$ - see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0031-9422(00)00365-4 Phytochemistry 56 (2001) 521 www.elsevier.com/locate/phytochem

Mycorrhizal Biology: Edited by K.G. Mukerji, B.P. Chamola and J. Singh, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2000, 336 pp., ISBN 0-30604-629-4, $145

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