[.ca] A Dictionary of Plant Pathology (ISBN 0521594588)

A Good Buy at This Price for Plant Pathologists:
This reference provides readers interested in plant diseases with access to a wide range of useful information: authoritative names of plant pathogens; concise definitions of terminology; names of infectious diseases and noninfectious disorders; brief information on fungicides and other varied topics; and in all cases, citations into the main literature. The greatest strength of the book to be in the definitions of terminology. Definitions provided in the Dictionary carry the weight of a scientific society, as they are based primarily on a paper published in 1973 by the Federation of British Plant Pathologists. Most of the technical terms I sought during my review were defined in simple, clear, and precise language. I found this reference to be very valuable for refurbishing a glossary used in my introductory plant pathology course; it was also handy for periodic reference throughout the semester. A few conceptual terms are missing, such as exclusion and avoidance. In a relatively small number of cases, the definitions given for certain terms do not reflect the varied ways the term may be used by specialists throughout the world. One example is the term virulence, although in fairness, it should be noted that plant pathologists do not agree on the usage and meaning of this term, and the Dictionary does cite key literature from that debate. Overall, however, the reader will find this reference to be an excellent resource for understanding the often arcane terminology of the profession. As a bibliographic list of authoritative names of plant pathogens, the Dictionary is valuable although not flawless. Each taxonomic entry includes useful and often numerous bibliographic citations, with keywords describing the content of each. The names and brief descriptions of genera and higher taxa are without question valuable, as are the citations provided with each. Of the recently renamed fungal and bacterial pathogens which I checked, up-to-date nomenclature was provided for most. However, several pathogens with name changes proposed in publication two years or more prior to the publication of this reference were found listed only under their old name. A pathogen's accepted scientific name reflects a consensus among specialists in their respective disciplines, and consensus takes time to achieve. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is some lag between publication of a proposed new name for a pathogen and the appearance of that name in a comprehensive reference such as this. Two of the pathogens I investigated were still listed only under their old names although name changes had been proposed in publication five and nine years prior to the publication of the Dictionary, periods of time that suggest an occasional oversight. Instances also were found where the entry for the old name was not cross-referenced with the new name, although such cases appeared to the exception. Nomenclature of plant-infecting viruses appeared to be excellent, providing up-to-date names for the viruses themselves as well as for genera and families. Overall, this is the best single source of authoritative names of plant pathogens available, especially given the dynamic nature of microbial taxonomy, although some current names do not appear in the Dictionary. Other information such as disease names, fungicide information, and other miscellaneous topics appears to be technically accurate, and having so much available in one volume is certainly handy. However, this reference necessarily can only serve as a starting point for the reader on any of these subjects, since very little information on each can be provided in the context of a comprehensive dictionary. Of course, the Dictionary provides citations here, as well, which will direct the reader to further information. While there are a few deficiencies noted above, this is a valuable reference for those working on a regular basis with topics relating to plant diseases. It should be a standard reference for libraries, departments, and offices with ongoing involvement in agricultural science, and especially for those in plant pathology. This review was originally published in the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education; it is reproduced with permission.