Plant Science 160 (2001) 361 – 362
Book review
www.elsevier.com/locate/plantsci
Agrochemicals — composition, production, toxicol-ogy, applications
Franz Mu¨ller (Ed.), 698-DM/357 EUR/621-SFR, 1999, pp. 1031, hardcover, Wiley-VCH, Wein-heim, Germany, ISBN 3-527-29852-5
According to the editor, this book is an extrac-tion of the data on fertilizers and plant protecextrac-tion chemicals and biologicals from the 37 volumes of Ullmann’s Encyclopaedia of Industrial Chemistry, by the same publishers. This explains both the format, and why some compounds released in the past few years are not included.
The book begins with a 10-page overview on the use of all the agrochemicals, so concise that half a page is devoted to regulatory issues, a half to trends, etc. A large section (240 pp.) is devoted to fertilizers that includes an abbreviated discussion of soil science, mineral nutrition, a larger section on industrial aspects of production methodology, the products themselves (including nitrification in-hibitors), and environmental issues. Toxicology here is mainly devoted to issues such as cadmium levels in rock phosphate (very important for the organic farming community that sometimes mar-kets too high cadmium vegetables). We are told that ‘nitrates have some sensitivity to heat’, an understatement considering how terrorists have misused nitrate fertilizers.
The rest the book follows a uniform subdivision format; main chapters on plant growth regulators, acaricides (separate from insecticides), fungicides, insecticides, nematicides (separately), rodenticides, weed control, and a short chapter on biocontrol of all pests (interestingly, the antibiotics used to con-trol bacterial diseases such as Erwinia and fire blight pathogens are not discussed anywhere — they must not be agrochemicals by their defini-tion). The format is within chapters uniform: first a ‘text’ discussion of the available technologies, then the various chemicals (grouped by chemical
similarity and not by function) containing struc-ture (drawing, as well as IUPAC name), mode of synthesis (in one sentence), molecular weight and some physical and solubility properties, a sentence on the use, and some trade names. The com-pounds are later re-listed, in a second section within the chapter, again by chemical group, con-taining the mammalian toxicological properties of each compound. The toxicology section does not include the ecotoxicology data (to fish, birds, bees, daphnia) that is typically found in the Pesticide
Manual[11th edition, 1606 pp., ISBN 1 901396 11
8, price: £145, or as a searchable CD available for £250)] and the Herbicide Handbook (seventh edi-tion, 1994, Weed Science Society of America, 352 pp., softbound, only $25.00!). Many insecticides have another relisting on allowable residues. The insect chapter has a short section on insecticide resistance, while the weed chapter does not men-tion herbicide resistance. Probably more area of arable land has weeds that evolved herbicide resis-tance than has insecticide resistant insects.
The alphabetical ‘one stop shopping’ of the
‘Pesticide Manual’ with its alphabetical listing of
all chemicals is far easier to use, as all information appears in one place. There are multipurpose com-pounds that act as acaricides, insecticides and/or nematicides, or both as a fungicide and an insecti-cide. Such compounds get a single listing in ‘Agro-chemicals’, which does not mention the other properties. Many compounds no longer available are still listed in this tome, although the excellent (when produced without dioxins) brush herbicide, 2,4,5-T is not to be found. 2,4,5-T is relegated to the ‘superceded compounds’ in the ‘Pesticide Man
-ual’. The photosystem II inhibitors, the acetolac-tate synthase inhibitors, etc. are scattered around in many chemical groups, and not under function, as in some books (Thomson, W.T. Agricultural Chemicals, in four books — 1997 – 1999, Thom-son Publications, Fresno, CA). It is important that
Book re6iew
362
‘Agrochemicals’ has a good index, or one would have much trouble looking up compounds.
Only rarely is there a sentence on herbicide target sites, often incomplete or inadequate. Thus, an acetylCoA carboxylase inhibitor is uncritically listed as a ‘cell division and fatty acid synthesis inhibitor’, and a compound of unknown target site is a ‘protein synthesis inhibitor’, forgetting that proteins are not made, and cells do not divide in dead plants. The book is heavily referenced (\
2000) and the index adequate.
The English is usually clear, although it and the science are sometimes quaint and ‘original’; e.g. mosses are included in a paragraph headed ‘para-sitic seed plants’. Words appear such as ‘benifici-ated’ (possibly for enriched), and Soviet (no longer in existence). There is a misogynist transformation of the commercial name of triallate from Fargo to ‘Frau Go’. These are but a few examples from a book that was not reviewed by reading all the pages.
The book moves into a crowded market. The leading and best competitor for easy to access information on all pesticides is the ‘Pesticide Man-ual’. If one is interested only in weed control, then the far less expensive WSSA ‘Herbicide Hand-book’ contains far more information.
‘Agrochemi-cals’ does have information that is not found in the ‘Pesticide Manual’; e.g. the natural (i.e. plant derived) yet highly poisonous insecticides sabadilla and ryania are included in ‘Agrochemicals’.
If one has either of the above competing books, and needs that do not go beyond them, then there is little need to add this very expensive book to the shelf. The ‘text’ that is part of every chapter in the book is far too abridged to be of use to students and researchers, who would be better advised to see recent texts on each of the subjects. In my particular case ‘Agrochemicals’ covers areas not on my bookshelf (fertilizers), but that is from lack of need.
Thus, we have a book entering a competitive market (that includes reference books not men-tioned above) and it is hard to find that ‘Agro-chemicals’ is that uniquely different or novel to justify the non-competitive price, or the effort in producing it.
7 September 2000 Jonathan Gressel
Department of Plant Sciences,
Weizmann Institute of Science,
IL-76100 Reho6ot,
Israel
E-mail: [email protected]
