Plant Science 157 (2000) 139 – 140
Book review
www.elsevier.com/locate/plantsci
De7elopments in Plant Genetics and Breeding, 7 ol-ume4:Biology of Brassica Coenospecies, Edited by C. Go´mez-Campo, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1999. ISBN 0-444-50278-5; 489 pages, hardbound, NLG 370 (EUR 167.90), US$ 188
A coenospecies is a group of individuals of more than one species sharing a common evolutionary origin. Consequently, the Brassica coenospecies (singular) is such a group centered around the genus Brassica, but in its broadest definition, in-cluding numerous additional species from 13 other genera of the Brassiceae. However, that is not what most of the chapters of this book actually cover. The book is primarily about the biology of the genusBrassica, particularly the six crop brassi-cas, and some of its relevant relatives such as
Sinapisand Raphanus. A title without inclusion of the term ‘Coenospecies’ would have been more appropriate and probably less confusing.
Many of the brassicas are of great economical importance. They are the source of edible roots, greens, oils and condiments as well as industrial oils and forage. The anti-carcinogenic effect of some of their constituents has made some of the
Brassica vegetables popular health foods (e.g. broccoli). The genus Brassica can also serve as a model for the teaching of numerous biological themes such as taxonomical features (crucifer flowers), cytogenetics (interspecific hybridization and allopolyploidy), phenotypic variation (cab-bage) or secondary metabolites (glucosinolates). Conventional breeding has led to spectacular im-provements of some of the Brassica crops, espe-cially in regards to the nutritional quality of the seed oil (canola). Brassicas were amongst the first crop species that have been regenerated from tis-sue and protoplast cultures, somatically hybridized and genetically engineered. Thus, a new volume covering the many recent advances in Brassica
biology is highly welcome.
The volume contains 14 chapters authored by noted authorities. The chapter headings are: Tax-onomy, Origin and Domestication, Cytogenetics, Somatic Hybridization, Self-Incompatibility, Male Sterility, Genome Structure and Mapping, Hap-loidy, Genetic Engineering, Chemical Composi-tion, Physiology, Diseases, Breeding and Genetic Resources. For a complete listing, including au-thors and subchapters see http://www.elsevier.nl/
inca/publications/store/6/2/0/2/3/3/index.htt. Most of the contributions are of excellent quality with informative tables, useful figures and complete reference lists. But there are also a few deficiencies. A biology of a genus (or coenospecies) without any morphology is incomplete. The physiology is too briefly treated, molecular aspects of develop-ment are missing and fatty acids are only men-tioned as part of the breeding strategies and results.
The index with more than 800 terms is mostly useful but failed occasionally the test. Terms of current and controversial actuality like the anti-cancer compoud ‘sulphoraphane’ are missing but geographical terms like European Atlantic coast or Morocco are abundant. Under Tunisia, Sar-dinia and Corsica one can find that isoenzymes have been studied in accessions coming from these three places. Obviously, the problem is the poor quality of the programs for computer-generated indices. However, this is a general problem and not specific to this volume.
Most readers interested in this volume are prob-ably familiar with the 1976 publication ‘The Biol-ogy and Chemistry of the Cruciferae’ by Vaughan, MacLeod and Jones and the 1980 publication ‘Brassica crops and wild allies’ by Tsunoda, Hi-nata and Go´mez-Campo. The new Go´mez-Campo, often through the same authors, updates many of the outdated chapters in those volumes and adds the new technologies. The publisher recommends the book for Brassica breeders and
Book re6iew
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researchers and, I like to add, instructors of plant biology. Many basic principles relevant to differ-ent disciplines of the plant sciences can be nicely illustrated with examples taken from the brassicas. The chapters in the new Go´mez-Campo are suffi-ciently explanatory to introduce these unique
Brassica features to instructors that are not work-ing with brassicas. Researchers that already benefited from the old volumes in the past should
definitely add the new one to their bookshelf.
F. Hoffmann
Department of De6elopmental and Cell Biology,
School of Biological Sciences,
Uni6ersity of California,
Ir6ine, CA 92697-2300,
USA
E-mail: [email protected]
