March 2023 MBR The Agriculture Shelf

The Agriculture Shelf

Diseases of Field Crops
Clayton A. Hollier, et al.
APS Press
3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121
https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore
97808905-6697, $$229.00, HC, 405pp

https://my.apsnet.org/APSStore/Product-Detail.aspx?WebsiteKey=2661527A-8D44-496C-A730-8CFEB6239BE7&iProduc tCode=46697

Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Clayton A. Hollier, G. Boyd Padgett, and Martin A. Draper, "Diseases of Field Crops" covers diseases of 22 major field crops in one comprehensive volume. "Diseases of Field Crops" describes disease symptoms in the context of environmental conditions that influence disease development. "Diseases of Field Crops" features more than 800 color images of disease symptoms and uses up-to-date pathogen nomenclature.

Critique: In addition to alphabetically covering field crop diseases ranging from Alfalfa to Wild Rice, "Diseases of Field Crops" is informatively enhanced with a beginning chapter on 'Integrated Plant Disease Mangement', a two page listing of the contributors and their credentials, a two page Glossary, and a twenty page Index. Expertly organized and presented, "Diseases of Field Crops" is an ideal textbook and field guide reference -- making it unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library Agricultural Studies collections and curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Clayton A. Hollier (https://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles/chollier) is Professor Emeritus: Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology Department, LSU Agriculture Center.

Editorial Note #2: G. Boyd Pagett is a Professor for the LSU AgCenter and LSU College of Agriculture. (https://www.lsu.edu/agriculture/plant/about/faculty-staff/padgett.php)

Editorial Note #3: Martin A. Draper is the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate programs for the College of Agriculture at the Kansas State University. (https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2019/11/draper-permanent-assoc-dean-research.html)

The Washington Apple
Amanda L. Van Lanen
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
www.oupress.com
9780806190662, $34.95, HC, 298pp

https://www.amazon.com/Washington-Apple-Development-Agriculture-Environment/dp/0806190663

Synopsis: In the nineteenth century, most American farms had a small orchard or at least a few fruit-bearing trees. People grew their own apple trees or purchased apples grown within a few hundred miles of their homes. Nowadays, in contrast, Americans buy mass-produced fruit in supermarkets, and roughly 70 percent of apples come from Washington State. So how did Washington become the leading producer of America's most popular fruit?

With the publication of "The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture", Professor Amanda L. Van Lanen offers a comprehensive response to this question by tracing the origins, evolution, and environmental consequences of the state's apple industry.

Washington's success in producing apples was not a happy accident of nature, according to Professor Van Lanen. Apples are not native to Washington, any more than potatoes are to Idaho or peaches to Georgia. In fact, Washington apple farmers were late to the game, lagging their eastern competitors. Professor Van Lanen deftly outlines the numerous challenges early Washington entrepreneurs faced in such areas as irrigation, transportation, and labor. Eventually, with crucial help from railroads, Washington farmers transformed themselves into "growers" by embracing new technologies and marketing strategies. By the 1920s, the state's growers managed not only to innovate the industry but to dominate it.

Industrial agriculture has its fair share of problems involving the environment, consumers, and growers themselves. In the quest to create the perfect apple, early growers did not question the long-term environmental effects of chemical sprays. Since the late twentieth century, consumers have increasingly questioned the environmental safety of industrial apple production. Today, as "The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture" reveals, the apple industry continues to evolve in response to shifting consumer demands and accelerating climate change. Yet, through it all, the Washington apple maintains its iconic status as Washington's most valuable agricultural crop.

Critique: A fascinating and informative history of one of the state of Washington's primary crops, "The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture" is informatively enhanced with the inclusion of a twelve page Bibliography, thirty-six pages of Notes, and a seven page Index. A seminal study and highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library American Agricultural History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).

Editorial Note: Amanda L. Van Lanen (https://www.oupress.com/author/amanda-l-van-lanen) is Associate Professor of History at Lewis-Clark State College. She has published articles in Agricultural History and Journal of the West.

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