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94 BOOK REVIEWS
Gene Manipulation in Plant Improvement II 19th Stadler
Genetics Symposium, J. Perry Gustafson. Plenum Publishing
Corporation, New York. 1990. Pp. 437. £63.00 Hardback.
ISBN 0 306 43595 0 HB.
The last decade of the twentieth century is proving to be a
happy time for those molecular biologists who work closely
with plant breeders, We are basking in a warm glow of appre-
ciation and expectation, so different from the time some
years ago when scepticism was the order of the day; in the
words of contributors to the present volume, the Green
Revolution is being followed by a Gene Revolution, Of
course, there are some dark clouds on the horizon. Informed
argument continues over the analysis of quantitative traits
using molecular markers and there are worries over the stability, performance and safety of transgenic plants. Nevertheless, the rate of progress over the last 10 years fully supports
optimism about the future.
The latest Stadler Genetics Symposium volume, detailing
the proceedings of a meeting held in Missouri in March
1989, follows a broad path through the practice and results
of current strategies for plant genetic manipulation. Perry
Gustafson has structured the volume to proceed from the
macroscopic to the microscopic level, beginning with
detailed economic analyses of the contributions of plant
and the dissection of gene expression. Most of the papers are
concerned with the economically important species of cereals.
Comparisons, according to Shakespeare's Dogberry, are
odorous and all of the contributors are to be congratulated
on the high overall standard. Inevitably, though, in this kind
of volume, those papers which are more philosophical in out-
look (and hence less tied to the here and now) suffer least
from the delay between the meeting and the publication of
the Symposium proceedings. I particularly enjoyed Don
Duvick's elegant essay on the mythology which sustains the
plant breeder, and also Richard Jefferson's ominous discussion of the problems encountered in the detection of gene
expression in the field, coupled with a spirited plea in favour
of the GUS marker system.
Books of this kind are required for departmental libraries,
and judging from the number of times my students borrowed
the book from my office, it may be a welcome addition to
many laboratory bookshelves. The major problem with
Stadler 19, as with any such volume, is the inevitable lag
between the presentation of papers and their publication.
Many topics which have figured prominently at more recent
meetings, such as the use of PCR-based molecular marker
systems, or the regeneration of transgenic maize plants,
postdate this volume. With this qualification, I recommend
this text.
breeding to production, and finishing with the analysis of
JOHN W. FORSTER
Department ofAgricultural Sciences
ribosomal DNA gene enhancers. In between, there are
papers on the identification of desirable traits for manipulation, novel sexual strategies, tissue culture and transformation, the use of viral sequences, molecular marker systems
University College of Wales
Abeiysffiyth
Wales
Books received
Evolutionary Biology (Volume 25). Hecht, M. K., Wallace, B.
and Maclntyre, R. J. (eds). Plenum Publishing Corporation,
New York. Pp. 475. Hardback ISBN 0 306 43644 2.
Chromosome Engineering in Plants: Genetics, Breeding,
Evolution. Gupta, P. K. and Tschiya, T. (eds). Elsevier,
Amsterdam. Pp. 656. Hardback, price £125.00. ISBN 0 444
88259 6.
Catalog of Chromosome Aberrations in Cancer (4th edition).
Mitelman, F. (ed). John Wiley, Chichester. Pp. 2,056 Hardback (two volumes), price £160.00. ISBN 0 471 56087 1.
Glossary of Genetics (Classical and Molecular) (5th edition).
Rieger, R. Michaelis, A. and Green, M.M. Springer-Verlag,
Berlin. Pp. 553. 1991. Softback, price £25.00. ISBN 3 540
52054 6.
Cell Activation: Genetics Approaches. Advances in
Regulation of Cell Growth (Volume 2). Mond, J. J., Cambier,
J. C. and Weiss, A. (eds). Raven Press, New York. 1991. Pp.
350. Hardback, price £78.00. ISBN 088167 819 8.