Book Reviews

The object of this book is to summarize in a reasonably balanced and comprehensive way, the state of our fundamental knowledge regarding the major kinds of plant hormones, and the phytochrome pigmentsystem. The book opens with a chapter containing largely basic information on growth and development of the whole plant throughout ontogeny. Further chapters are devoted to auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and related compounds, ethylene, brassinosteroids, and phytochrome. In each case, the discovery of the hormone, its structure and occurrence, biosynthesis and metabolism, physiological effect, and possible mode of action are described. Although the author states that biochemical aspects have been given priority, these are clearly subordinate to physiological considerations. This is in fact, the strength of the book, in that it provides a general review of hormone physiology from a historical perspective. The various aspects are described in a clear style and illustrated with many well-produced, simple, yet informative figures. Inevitably, in a single-author text dealing with such a broad field, there is unevenness in the detail with which the various subjects are described. Newer developments are not always adequately treated. In contrast, the descriptions of the varied physiological effects are generally excellent, and the author is careful in pointing out possible alternative interpretations of the activities of the various hormones. Very little is mentioned however, about hormone determinations or of the need to invoke additional regulatory-substances to be able to fully understand plant-growth and development. There is little discussion about the molecular mechanisms of hormone action and, consequently, a unifying picture of hormonal regulation does not emerge. Nevertheless, as an introduction to plant hormones for advanced students in biology and agronomy, it quite well illustrates the current state of our knowledge about hormonal phenomena. I used this book to advantage in the preparation of a lecture course on the regulation of plant growth and development. In scope and depth, it fills the gap between the considerably shorter ‘Plant Growth Regulators' by J.A. Roberts and R. Hooley and the multi-author treatize ‘Plant Hormones and Their Role in Plant Growth and Development', edited by P.J. Davies. Both discuss plant hormones primarily on the basis of plant developmental processes.