As the opening chapter in a book on plant biology with a developmental/genetic/molecular focus, this is novel, but highly relevant and welcome. The synthetic emphasis is important for the future development of these fields of science, and the general approach is bound to appeal to students. Chapter 1 fits well with the declared goal of drawing together data from different fields. This is a refreshingly new approach... I think that the level is about right for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate. - Paul Kenrick, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Chapter 2 was a joy to read. What a treasure trove of plant genetics information and examples ... The chapter should stimulate interest in undergraduates and lay the foundation for graduate students at the outset of their careers. It would also be a terrific primer for Ph.D. prelim exams. - Patrick Hayes, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
I really like the overall concept of this textbook. I teach a sophomore level undergraduate course in plant biology that is similar in content to this text and there is currently no truly appropriate textbook. While there are several lovely botany books, these are designed for survey courses aimed at students with little biology background... At the other extreme are books like Taiz & Zeiger's Plant Physiology... which are more fitting for seniors and graduate students and which also fail to impress topics such as the evolutionary history of plants and our relationship to them. - Kaye Peterman, Wellesley College, Massachusetts, USA, writing about Chapter 3
This is the most comprehensive and well written text book chapter on plant biology I have ever encountered. The coverage is incredible, and the title metabolism is taken in its broadest sense... I found the quality of the figures excellent. They were sufficiently stand alone to be useful in this way while being well discussed in the text. - Bob Furbank, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, Australia, writing about Chapter 4
I learned a lot from the chapter. I think this will be a good starting place for biologists at all levels to gain entry into a specific area. I also like how different genes and mechanisms were reinforced by later examples. The pace is good, the writing succinct and well worded, and many of the stories and perspectives are quite fascinating. - Fred Sack, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA, writing about Chapter 5
My overall impression was that the chapter was well written, largely up-to-date and dealt with the subject in a quite detailed way. The illustrations were excellent.... The level of detail is impressive and yet the style is very readable. - Garry Whitelam, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK, writing about Chapter 6
[The authors have] endeavoured to fulfil quite an extraordinary goal - linking 'molecular' responses with the plant-environment interactions from a general rather than a specific viewpoint. [They have] done this remarkably well... All-in-all therefore the chapter is a major tour-de-force. - Jeremy Harbinson, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands, writing about Chapter 7
The chapter covers an enormous range of topics in a generally well organised and easily understood style. Most sections are right up to date and deal in depth with the really critical issues. The condensation of material here is very good, just what is needed for a challenging undergraduate text. - John Mansfield (Imperial College London, Wye Campus, Ashford, Kent, UK, writing about Chapter 8
It is exceptionally clear; informative without overwhelming, well written and engaging. It was a true joy to read. - Enrique Lopez-Juez, Royal Holloway, University of London, Surrey, UK, writing about Chapter 9
Chapter 2 was a joy to read. What a treasure trove of plant genetics information and examples ... The chapter should stimulate interest in undergraduates and lay the foundation for graduate students at the outset of their careers. It would also be a terrific primer for Ph.D. prelim exams. - Patrick Hayes, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
This is the most comprehensive and well written text book chapter on plant biology I have ever encountered. The coverage is incredible, and the title metabolism is taken in its broadest sense... I found the quality of the figures excellent. They were sufficiently stand alone to be useful in this way while being well discussed in the text. - Bob Furbank, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, Australia, writing about Chapter 4
As a textbook, Plant Biology's pedagogic values are very high.... Plant Biology is new and sufficiently different to existing texts to warrant closer inspection....Smith et al.'s Plant Biology is a great achievement, and the authors and publishers are to be complimented on such a worthy endeavour.
-Annals of Botany, September 2009
