Choice Review

This book describes the insect pests of some agriculturally important plants. As the preface explains, this information is provided to speed our progress in solving agricultural problems. In this volume we see expert description of the pest problems of sunflowers, mustards, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, sorghum, wheat, and pecans. The literature cited is diverse and carefully chosen, but the combined effort falls short of providing any broad outline of the avenues for future research. This book is more of a simple listing of insect species found to reduce crop yields than an analysis of how that information can be used to increase agricultural production. The chapters are variable in their quality and much too technical in their approach to be useful to even advanced undergraduates. Photographs are conspicuously lacking from all but the sunflower section. Cannot serve as an encyclopedia, but may be of use in specialized libraries serving practicing entomologists. -G. Stevens, Gustavus Adolphus College