Book Review - The Pomegranate – Botany, Production and Uses

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L., family: Punicaceae) is one of the oldest known edible fruits and is associated with the ancient civilizations of the Middle East. This is the first comprehensive book covering the botany, production, processing, health and industrial uses of the pomegranate. The cultivation of this fruit for fresh consumption, juice production and medicinal purposes has expanded more than tenfold over the past 20 years. Presenting a review of pomegranate growing, from a scientific and horticultural perspective, this book provides information on how to increase yields and improve short- and medium-term grower profitability and sustainability. It covers: practices to mitigate pests, diseases and abiotic stresses; yield-based nutrition management; cultural practices for cultivars with horticultural traits such as earliness, high yield, improved taste, soft seeds, disease resistance, and low splitting and sunscald rates; increasing crop diversity to aid crop security; and composition, food uses and medicinal applications. This book provides a valuable support not only for farmers and for people involved in the pomegranate industry but it can be recommended without any reservation to plant breeders, plant physiologists, food technologists and chemists to obtain comprehensive information on the current state of knowledge of this important fruit species. The book starts by providing a detailed overview about archaeology, history and symbolism of pomegranate plants. Subsequent sections deal mainly with the taxonomy, propagation and breeding of pomegranates. Furthermore, the environmental requirements, different harvest methods, various plant diseases and their individual management, postharvest biology, optimal storage conditions and bioactive compounds are discussed in detail on a high scientific level. A number of scientific articles are listed in each annex of the 18 sections, allowing readers to obtain more detailed information on the individual topics. Ali Sarkhosh, Alimohammad M. Yavari, Zabihollah Zamani, The Pomegranate – Botany, Production and Uses, CAB International 2020, 578 pages including bibliographical references and index, price: 176,00 €, ISBN: 978-1-78924-076-4 (hardcover)

Book Review: Strawberries (2nd Edition)

This new and updated edition provides a broad, balanced review of the scientific knowledge of strawberries and their cultivation. The worldwide strawberry industry has grown substantially since the first edition was published 20 years ago. Furthermore, methods of cultivation have undergone extensive modifications. Important changes have been made to the taxonomy of strawberries and there is a much better understanding today of how its ancestors evolved. New disease and pest control methods have been developed and a large amount of genomic information has been generated. This information has greatly broadened our knowledge of how flowering and fruiting is regulated and will revolutionize the breeding of strawberries. This book covers various important aspects from taxonomy, ecology, morphology and genetics to environmental physiology, disease and pest control, fruit ripening, storage and processing.  Drawing on extensive research and practical experience, the author provides in 8 chapters a thorough review of the evolution of strawberries (chapter 1) and the history of strawberry cultivation (chapter 3). Chapter 3 and 4 summarize the major cultivation systems employed across the world and describe the physiology behind these practices. Chapter 5 addresses strawberry anatomy and developmental physiology including temperature and photoperiod control of flowering. Chapter 6 highlights research work on the fruiting and postharvest physiology. Chapter 7 deals with the diseases and pests of strawberry and describes the individual consequences that came up with the abandonment of methyl bromide. The last chapter reviews strawberry breeding and genetic research, an area where tremendous progress continues to be made. Particularly in Mediterranean and other sub-tropical environments breeding activities increased dramatically over the last two decades. It is reported that strawberry breeders have begun to widely use molecular approaches in their programs including also marker-assisted and genomic selection. This book provides an excellent, concise overview of strawberries and their cultivation and can be therefore recommended without any reservation as an exciting and instructive information to a broad range of readers. Not only does it provide valuable support to students of horticulture and various professional groups such as plant breeders, strawberry farmers, plant physiologists, food technologists and chemists, but it also provides an excellent opportunity for interested laypeople to obtain comprehensive information on the current state of knowledge of strawberry science and cultivation. A number of scientific articles are listed in each annex of the 8 chapters, allowing readers to obtain more detailed information on the individual topics. Bibliography: James F. Hancock, Strawberries 2nd edition, CAB International 2020, 275 pages includes bibliographical references and index, price: 53,29 €, ISBN-13: 9781789242270 (hardback), ISBN 9781789242287 (ePDF), ISBN 9781789242294 (ePub

Book Review: The Papaya – Botany, Production and Uses

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is well known as the third most widely produced tropical fruit worldwide after mango and pineapple. The global papaya production has grown significantly over the last few years, mainly as a result of increased production in India. Global sharing of information on papaya was advanced by the 1st International Papaya Symposium held at Genting Highlands, Malaysia, in 2005. This congress has been followed by regular symposia every 4 years in different papaya-producing countries. Since more than 100 years, numerous articles related to production and use of papaya fruits have been published in various scientific and popular journals. However, a comprehensive review that summarised these long-standing research results and findings in a suitable form has been lacking until now. So, it is a very important step that this first comprehensive book authorized by an international team of experts at the forefront of research covering all important aspects of botany, biotechnology, production, postharvest physiology and processing, is now available. The book starts by providing a detailed overview about the origin, history, valuable ingredients and processing of papaya fruits. Subsequent sections deal mainly with the taxonomy, propagation and breeding of papayas. Further on, the fruit formation, the ripening process, various plant diseases, greenhouse cultivation, optimal storage conditions and quality characteristics are discussed in detail on a high scientific level. As mentioned by the authors, today analysis of the papaya genome promises new, faster breeding techniques to obtain improved cultivars. These and other advances are helping to tackle diseases like papaya ring spot viruses and major pests which still cause significant losses. This book can be recommended without any reservation as an exciting and instructive information to a broad range of readers. Not only does it provide valuable support to professional groups such as plant breeders, farmers, plant physiologists, food technologists and chemists, but it also provides an excellent opportunity for interested laypeople to obtain comprehensive information on the current state of knowledge of this important tropical fruit. A number of scientific articles are listed in each annex of the 16 sections, allowing readers to obtain more detailed information on the individual topics. Bibliography: Sisir Mitra, The Papaya – Botany, Production and Uses, CAB International 2020, 269 pages includes bibliographical references and index, price: 113,27 €, ISBN-13: 9781789241907 (hardback), ISBN 9781789241914 (ePDF), ISBN 9781789241921 (ePub

Buchbesprechung - Heilpflanzenlexikon – Ein Leitfaden auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage [in German]

Die Neuauflage des bereits zum Klassiker avancierten Heilpflanzenlexikons wurde vollständig durchgesehen, behutsam aktualisiert und mit einem modernen Layout versehen. Dabei wurde jedoch bewusst darauf verzichtet, das über Jahrzehnte von den Begründern der lexikalischen Sammlung zusammengetragene Wissen zu den einzelnen Arzneidrogen durch neue Texte zu ersetzen. So sind die bereits in den früheren Auflagen angeführten Anekdoten zu einzelnen Medizinaldrogen sowie ausgewählte historische Inhalte unverändert auch wieder in der neuen Auflage zu finden. Der Autor informiert wissenschaftlich fundiert über knapp 500 alt-bekannte und hochaktuelle Arzneipflanzen. Die in kompakter Weise präsentierten Monographien geben dabei u.a. Auskunft über ihre jeweilige regionale Herkunft, wirksame Inhaltsstoffe, empfohlene Dosierungen bei deren unterschiedlichen Applikation sowie den in der Literatur beschriebenen therapeutischen Nutzeffekten; auch auf mögliche Risiken bei der Anwendung einiger pflanzlicher Präparate wird kurz hingewiesen. Bereits in der letzten Auflage wurde eine Reihe zusätzlicher Pflanzenarten wie z.B. Aronia melanocarpa, Ballota nigra, Isatis tinctoria, Prunus africana, Rhodiola rosea, Macadamia integri-folia, Leontopodium alpinum, Limonia acidissima, Lippia dulcis, Papaver rhoeas, Prilla frutescens und andere Arten zusätzlich in den Monographie-Katalog aufgenommen. In entsprechender Weise wurden die Literaturhinweise ergänzt und auch der aktuel-le Kenntnisstand der bestehenden Monographien entsprechend be-rücksichtigt. Ergänzt wurden in dem einleitenden Kapitel auch die Hinweise auf alternative und komplementäre Naturheilverfahren, auf die Aromatherapie, Ayurveda-Medizin, Hildegard-Medizin sowie die Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin. Das Nachschlagewerk richtet sich insbesondere an Ärzte, Apotheker und Heilpraktiker, kann aber durchaus auch Biologen, Lebens-mittelchemikern sowie Studenten der genannten Fachrichtungen empfohlen werden. Auch für interessierte Laien ist das Buch als Nachschlagewerk geeignet, da es aufgrund der zahlreichen Informationen einen ersten Einblick in die Vielfalt der heute in der westlichen Welt gebräuchlichen Medizinalpflanzen liefert. Dietrich Frohne, Heilpflanzenlexikon – Ein Leitfaden auf wissen-schaftlicher Basis, Deutscher Apotheker Verlag, Stuttgart, 9. Auf-lage, 2021, 686 Seiten, Preis: 54,- €, ISBN: 978-3-8047-3700-6 (Printausgabe), ISBN: 978-3-8047-4200-0 (E-Book, pdf)

Otto Appel and his contributions to food quality and safety at the beginning of the 20th century

Otto Appel (1867-1952) is best known for his research in the field of phytopathology, in particular for his discoveries on bacterial and fungal diseases of crops such as potato and cereals. His work ranged from fundamental research, like the discovery and description of pathogens and their ways to affect their host plants, to applied research on cultivation practices and storage methods. He published numerous scientific articles as well as practical recommendations for farmers in form of flyers and pocket books with the aim to improve yield and quality and to reduce losses and, thus, securing the supply with plant based food and materials. His commitment to applied research was also reflected in his long-term membership in the boardof the Association for Applied Botany and later on in the awarding of Honorary Presidency of the Association. As director of the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry in Berlin, he was the key player in setting up an efficient and well-organized plant protection service in Germany.Otto Appel’s achievements significantly influenced agricultural practices and generally enhanced food quality and safety in Germany and beyond. They are still remembered today, when the Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft awards the Otto Appel Medal to outstanding researchers in phytomedicine every two years