Physiology of crop production’ by NK Fageira, VC Baligar and RB Clark, Haworth Press : [Book review]

The cover of Physiology of Crop Production states that it provides cutting-edge research and data for the complete coverage of the physiology of crop production. The book is lacking on both accounts. Less than 3 % of the references dating from 2000 onwards can hardly justify the claim as cutting edge, and with examples primarily from cereal and grain legume crops and a focus on inceptisols and oxisols of Brazil, the content may interest only a section of the intended readership.The writing style is inconsistent throughout. Contributions from the three authors quite clearly stand apart and there is little cross-referencing between chapters. The text gives the impression of still being in a draft form, with numerous grammatical and textual errors evident to a perceptive reader. The reproduction of most of the figures is of poor quality – dot-matrix generated legends do not do justice to the data presented. Line spacingis inconsistent, especially on pages with figures and tables. Incorrect usage of some statistical terminology and units will send mixed messages to students amongst the intended readership. Sections repeated, at times verbatim, will be annoying to those who read the complete text. To its credit, the chapter on Carbon Dioxide and Crop Yield is well written, but it is short. Although much published information has been compiled throughout the text, the book on the whole fails to integrate existing knowledge on crop physiology into a clear understanding that will, as the new-book announcement claims, maximize crop production anywhere in the world. That is a tall order for any single book.