t78 BOOK REVIEWS

The scope of the book once more demonstrates how counteproductive it is to call blue-green algae, cyanobacteria. As so aptly said by Lewin (Nature (1976) 259, 360) this neologism empoverishes our vocabularly by making bacteria synonym of prokaryotes. This obliges us to say "Algae and Cyanobacteria" whenever we want to refer to those organisms of fundamental ecological importance which share so much in physiology and biochemistry and were conveniently called the algae. In their preface the Editors tell us how they have been forced to lengthen the title by those who refuse to see blue- green algae called that name. This makes me think of Big Brother enforcing his new speech. After all, was it not two years before 1984 that "The biology of the blue-green algae" edited by Carr and Whitton became "The biology of cyanobacteria"? In biology, the timing of George Orvvell's predictions might after all be quite accurate.

I will limit discussion of details to a few points. In Chapter 14, A. K. Jones considers the SEM essential in studies of algal epiphytes.

In our experience this instrument is not superior to good light microscopy given the loss of cytological information and the difficulty in obtaining statistically significant observations (Wilmotte, A., Goffart, A. and Demoulin, V. (1988) Br. PhycoL J. 23, 251- 258).

Chapter 15 on cyanobacterial toxins by G. A. Codd and G. K. Poon is limited to fresh water organisms. This is unfortunate given the close taxonomic relationship of many fresh and salt water blue-green algae. Informations on the rich chemistry of toxic marine Lyngbyas for example are thus lacking in this volume. In Chapter 16 (Algae- Invertebrate Symbiosis by A. E. Douglas), p. 304, sole reference is made to nitrogen recycling as the primary explanation for the very high productivity of coral reefs. Nitrogen fixation by blue-green algae of course emerges as a major factor in this respect.

On the whole this is an interesting book which explains the time I spent studying it before writing this review, a delay for which I have to apologize.

V. DEMOULIN Institut de Botanique

Universit# de Li#ge Sart Ti/man, B-4000

Li#ge, Belgium

Grain Legumes: Evolution and Genetic Resources: Joseph Smartt. Press Syndicate of the Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1990. 379 pp. ISBN 0-521-30797 x. Price $90 (cloth).

As research objectives and publications become more focused and specialization is emphasized over generalization, it is refreshing to read in one place the synthesis of disparate fields of study on a single subject, legumes cultivated for their seeds. This book presents a comparative survey of the evolution and potential for future develop- ment of the major and minor grain legumes of standing and promising economic interest. The book examines the available biosystematic information and changes through domestication on, in the the order they are presented, Arachis, Phaseolus, Vigna, Pisum, Lathyrus, Vicia, Lens, Cicer, Glycine, Psophocarpus, Lupinus, Cajanus, Lablab, Macrotyloma, and Canavalia. It is clear that present applied research on edible legumes has diverged from the basic biosystematic and phylogenetic research once widely expected of taxonomists and plant breeders. Realizing this, the author high- lights the progress still to be made in the exploitation of grain legumes through an

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integrated approach to research strategies and a utilization of various genepools contained in the wild and cultivated relatives of these crop plants.

Grain Legumes represents a logical 14 year update to an earlier book, Tropical Pulses ~, in which the author presented the past history and development of tropical legumes and pointed to their further exploitation as a means to address the world food crises. What TropicalPulses represented to our understanding under Green Revolution rationality, Smartt updates in Grain Legumesand clearly underscores appropriate tech- nology and sustainable agricultural practices as important and justifiable objectives in modern crop improvement programs for these plants. Although a crisis still exists in world food supply, misconceived objectives and expectations of under-utilized legumes during the Green Revolution may have kept potentially useful crops such as Lathyrus sativus (grasspea) and Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (winged bean) out of the world economic picture and possibly prolonged the problem.

Smartt does an excellent job of pulling together the available knowledge on grain legumes and realistically outlines future research objectives and potentials for these plants. This book will serve a useful purpose as a reference for all interested in grain legumes and crop domestication. As suggested by the publisher the volume is adequately suitable for advanced undergraduates as a textbook in plant breeding and genetic resource conservation. The only reservation I have for the book is the rather elevated cost in the U.S. which is certainly limiting and impractical to those on a student budget.

DANIEL HARDER Missouri Botanical Garden

RO. Box 299 St. Louis, Missouri 63166-0299

U.S.A. *Smartt, J. 1976. Tropical Pulses. Tropical Agriculture Series. Longman, New York.

Safer Insecticides, Development and Use (Volume 7, Drug and Chemical Toxi- cology Series): Edited by E. Hodgson and R. J. Kuhr. Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1990. 592 pp. ISBN 0-8247-7884-7. $135 (U.S.A. and Canada), $162 (elsewhere).

This is an excellent volume on a subject that is in need of considerable new thought and action. The editors are to be congratulated in bringing together a range of authorities and combining their contributions to produce a work that is broad but still has sufficient depth. It may be expensive, and as a European I rather resent the price dichotomy, but it is worth the money.

The work is arranged in 15 Chapters including a relatively brief Introduction by the editors. Chapter 2 is an excellent review of metabolism of xenobiotics by insects by Dauterman and Hodgson. This is followed by four Chapters that deal respectively with structure-activity relationships of insecticides and routes through which to attack insects (endocrine-based, nervous-system-based and other routes). These four Chapters take up almost 200 pages; they are well written and are a mine of informa- tion. There then follows five further Chapters looking at potential new sources of insecticides or of inducing resistance to insect attack in plants. Of these I was particu- larly taken by the report on spider venoms as potential lead structures for novel insecticides by Quicke and Usherwood but rather disappointed on the brief essay on plant-derived natural products. Does the latter reflect a lack of potential? If it does this would not sit well with the current notion that many secondary metabolites are produced to deter herbivores!

The remaining chapters deal with improvement in use, ways to reduce use, the very