Volume 9, Part 4, November 1995

A colour atlas of curcurbit diseases:Observations, Identification and Control byD. Blancard, H. Lecoq & M. Pitrat (1994).Pp. 299, illus. in colour. ISBN 1-874545-15-4.Manson Publishing Ltd, London, UK.Price £65.00.This guide to diseases and disorders of curcurbitsand their control is an English translation ofMaladies des Curcurbitaces (1991). With so manygenera and species of curcurbits the authors setthemselves a difficult task in how to put together aguide which could be used to simplify the diagno-sis of problems encountered in growing thesetypes of crops. However the same approach hasbeen used as in the authors' earlier excellentguide to diseases/disorders of tomatoes which waspublished in 1988. In both these diagnostic guidesthe authors have moved away from approachesbased on the classification ofdiseases/disorders bycrop type or common problems. This publicationtakes a logical approach by classifying symptomson the basis of their appearance on different plantparts. The pages referring to each part are colourcoded at their edges making each section easy tofind. The colour coding used matches that of theparticular part of the plant to which they refer.One very minor drawback is that some of theshades of green used to denote leaves from stems

Anaerobic Fungi: biology, ecology andfunction edited by Douglas O. Mountford &Colin Orpin (1994). Pp. 312, illus. (Hardcover).ISBN 0-8247-8948-2. Marcel Dekker, Inc. NewYork, USA $US 135.In 1975 Colin Orpin described anaerobic fungi inthe rumen of cattle and sheep; although theexistence of these organisms had already beenestablished, it was Orpin who first suggested theywere fungi. Today, the relationship betweenanaerobic fungi and aerobic chytrids is generallyaccepted. Although they have cell walls contain-ing chitin and life cycles remarkably similar tothose observed in the aerobic chytrids, theseanaerobic fungi are obligate anaerobes which lackmitochondria but possess hydrogen-generatinghydrogenosomes similar to those found in proto-zoa; they obtain energy by the kind of mixed acidfermentation commonly found amongst the col-iform bacteria.

This volume is published as part of the Myco-logy series edited by Paul A. Lemke. It is edited bytwo pioneers of anaerobic fungal research andcontains contributions from others distinguishedin the field.

The introductory chapter by Colin Orpin onAnaerobic Fungi: Taxonomy, Biology, and Distri-

are not that distinct. This approach is backed upwith some very high quality photographs ofsymptoms which are clearly referred to in thelegend of each photograph. This has contributedto making this one of the most straight forwarddiagnostic guides to diseases/disorders of specia-list vegetable crops. It certainly matches theauthors' earlier work on tomatoes.

There is a wealth of information on all possiblecauses of each problem supplemented with someexcellent diagrams to explain the terms used. TheAtlas should be of interest to all those who areengaged in growing curcurbits and its approach inthe classification ofproblems should ensure that itcan be used at all levels ofexperience and interest.Towards the back ofthe book a very useful sectionis provided on the control of each pathogen andthere are useful cross references to other sectionsof the text where the same disease/disorderappears on other parts of the plant. The atlas willno doubt come in particularly useful in diagnosingviruses, a common problem in this group ofplants.The book is probably slightly expensive but givenso many highly quality photographs and itsattractive layout it is certainly still a veryworthwhile addition to any collection.

Roy Kennedy

bution in Nature provides an excellent overview ofthis group of fascinating organisms. It includesreference to two important papers by BrentHeath's group in which the phylogenetic relation-ship between the anaerobic fungi and the chytri-diomycota was established following cladisticanalysis ofrRNA sequences.

The chapters Ultrastructure ofAnaerobic Fungiby Edward Munn and Fermentation ProductGeneration in Rumen Chytridiomycetes by NigelYarlett provide good reviews of two topics whichare of considerable significance for the taxonomyand growth physiology of these organisms. Achapter by Michael Theodorou, David Davies andColin Orpin describes the nutrition and survivalof anaerobic fungi. Importantly, although cul-tures of anaerobic fungi only survive for a fewhours when exposed to air, it is possible to isolatethem from dried sheep faeces stored for manymonths. The symbiotic association betweenanaerobic fungi and herbivorous animals hasevolved because the rumen provides a constantenvironment and food source for the fungi, and,since the animal is unable to degrade cellulose orhemicellulose, the fungi perform this function andprovide fermentation end products which can beused by the animal. The important ability of

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