The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics : cultivation, economic value, utilization /

Originally published in German; the information on plants mentioned are available from a continuously updated data bank maintained by Germany's Institute of Agronomy and Animal Health in the Tropics at Gottingen University. Contains information on more than a thousand plants but does not include forest and oriental species. Each chapter begins with an overview on the economic, production trends, nutritional aspects, chemistry, and technological features of major plant crops. Plant production, botany, breeding, ecophysiology, cultivation practices, diseases and pests, processing, and utilization are covered. Minor plants and those grown only in specific locales are treated in tables. The book is literally sprinkled with very good line drawings on plant characteristics. Crop production over the last ten years is indicated: plants covered include vegetables, fruit, and nuts; plants that provide starch, sugar, oil, and protein; beverages and stimulants, spices, medicines, essential oils, fiber, elastomers, gums, mucilages, resins, tannins, dyes and colorants, pesticides and waxes; as well as forage, pasture, and ancillary plants. Many tables allow considerably more information to be packed into this volume. Numerous references. A must for anyone interested in tropical and subtropical cultivated plants.-H. W. Ockerman, Ohio State University