Advances in Botanical Research, Vol. 30

Advances in Botanical Research is a multi-volume publication that brings together reviews by recognized experts on subjects of importance to those involved in botanical research. For more than thirty years, Advances in Botanical Research has earned a reputation for excellence in the field. Academic Press has merged Advances in Plant Pathology into Advances in Botanical Research. The plant science community will find that the merger of these two serials will provide one comprehensive resource for the field. To ensure complete coverage, John Andrews and Inez Tommerup, the editors of Advances in Plant Pathology, have joined the editorial board of the new series, which will include equal coverage of plant pathology and botany in both thematic and mixed volumes. The first few volumes of the new series will be slanted toward botany or plant pathology; however, future eclectic volumes will be fully integrated.The resulting synergy of these two serials greatly benefits the plant science community by providing a more comprehensive resource under one roof. The joint aim is to continue to include the very best articles, thereby maintaining the status of a high impact factor review series.

The thirtieth volume of Advances in Biological Research incorporating Advances in Plant Pathology includes articles covering a broad range of subjects of interest to plant scientists.
The mechanisms of uptake of nitrate and ammonium ions by plants have received renewed impetus, predominantly due to progress in the cloning and characterization of the various transporters. The review by Forde and Clarkson integrates the large body of information on physiological mechanisms with these advances at the molecular level.
The interest in the potential for using natural defences within an integrated pest control strategy has heightened interest in the co-evolutionary development of defensive secondary metabolites in the plant and adaption to these by insects. The review by Pickett, Smiley and Woodcock describes the range of mechanisms by which secondary metabolites act. Particular emphasis is placed on semiochemicals and their potential value in novel crop protection strategies.
The review by Ashihara and Crozier summarizes aspects of the matabolism of purine alkaloids found naturally in over 100 species of plant. Information on their biosynthesis and degradation is discussed as well as biotechnological aspects of alternative sources of caffeine production and the possibilities for transgenic manipulation of caffeine synthesis.
Serpe and Nothnagel discuss recent data on structure/function inter-relationships of the arabinogalactan-proteins, a class of heterogeneous plant proteoglycans with a broad range of potential functions yet to be precisely identified. The final article by Keen review important milestones in the cloning and characterisation of pathogen avirulence genes and the matching or complementary host resistance genes. It considers how these advances in basic understanding may lead to strategies for practical disease control in the next century.