About the Book
Allelopathy is a new field of science, as the term 'Allelopathy' was coined by Prof. Hans Molisch, a German Plant Physiologist in 1937. However, no standard methods are being used by various workers due to lack of compendium on the techniques, hence, the results obtained are not easily comparable with each others. Till now lot of allelopathy research has been done in various fields of Agricultural and Plant Sciences. However, there is no compilation of various research methods used. Every scientist is conducting research in his own way. This situation has caused lot of problems to researchers working in underdeveloped/Third World Countries in small towns without library facilities. Therefore, to make available the standard methods for conducting allelopathy research independently, this multi-volume book has been planned. Since allelopathy is multi-disciplinary area of research, hence, volumes have been planned for each discipline. Prof. S.S. Narwal has planned this multi-volume Book Research Methods in Plant Sciences: Allelopathy. Its 9 volumes (Soil Analysis, Plant Protection, Plant Pathogens, 4. Plant Analysis, Volume 5. Plant Physiology, 6. Plant Biochemistry, 7. Cell Diagnostics, 8. Plant Bioassays and 9. Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Allelochemicals/ Natural Products have been released. Its 3 volumes (10. Soil Allelochemicals, 11. Soil sickness and 12. Forestry/Agroforestry) are in Press. Soil Sickness is important area of research worldwide, however, little research has been done because it is complex phenomenon and caused by many factors. In past few years, soil sickness research mainly on autotoxicity of crops and trees is being done. Hence Allelopathy Journal Published Special Issue on soil sickness [Guest Editors: B. Politycka, Poland and J.Q. Yu, China Volume 18(1) 2006]. Till now there is only one book, A.M. Grodzinsky (1979). Allelopathy in Soil Sickness (Russian, English translated 2006). It is hoped that this book on methodology will initiate more research on soil sickness. The book is divided in 2 sections: Section I. Abiotic factors, has 5 chapters (Soil sickness: An overview, Plant Nutrients, Soil Salinity and Acidity, Soil Compaction, Soil Organic Matter), Section II. Biotic factors consists of 9 chapters (Phytotoxic Substances, Soil Microorganisms and Soil-Borne Diseases, Soil Enzymes, Insects in Agrosystems, Plant Parasitic Nematodes, Weed Studies, Soil Sickness and Productivity, Morpho-anatomical changes in crops under soil sickness, Soil Sickness in Forestry). This book will serve as ready reference in the laboratory or class room and provides detailed methods for field studies in agriculture and allied fields including allelopathy. Information provided can be used to determine the different allelochemicals in various types of Agroecosystems. It will be useful for UG and PG students and researchers, soil scientists, biochemists, chemists and other plant science specialists. We have tried to provide appropriate methods to determine allelochemicals in soils. The users of this book can select suitable methods, according to the available facilities.
About the Author :
Prof. S.S. Narwal, is an internationally renowned allelopathy scientist. He is the first National Fellow (Allelopathy) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi from 1995-2005. Currently he is the President, Indian Society of Allelopathy and the Chief Editor, Allelopathy Journal. Till now, he has authored/edited 25 Books on Allelopathy and many books are under preparation. He has travelled to more than 35 countries in all the 6-Continents, to deliver lectures in International Allelopathy Conferences. In 1989, when he was Visiting Professor, Department of Allelopathy, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev, he attended all Soviet Allelopathy Conference, and also read Allelopathy Reprints from Prof. A.M. Grodzinsky's Collection. Prof. Narwal established Indian Society of Allelopathy in 1990. Prof. E.L. Rice, USA wrote 'Congratulations, Prof. Narwal for Establishing the First National Society in the World'. He has organised, 4 International Allelopathy Conferences in India, 1992 (Hisar), 1994 (New Delhi), 1998 (Dharwad), 2004 (Hisar). He is also Founder of International Allelopathy Society (1994) during the II International Allelopathy Conference, New Delhi. Currently he is the Chief Editor, Allelopathy Journal, an SCI Journal with Impact Factor of 0.793.
Prof. Barbara Politycka is a scientific worker and a lecturer at Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland, where since 1975 she is conducting classes in plant physiology. She has been dealing with the problem of allelopathy since about 30 years. Her major scientific interests constitute allelopathy in soil sickness phenomenon and plant responses to phenolic compounds released from plant residues. Her studies refer primarily to the participation of phenolic compounds in soil sickness and plant responses to these allelochemicals. The main topics of her studies are (i) soil sickness of organic substrates used repeatedly in cucumber growing in glasshouse, (ii) release of phytotoxic substances from the decaying residues of cereal crops, (iii) mechanisms of physiological response of the plants to phenolicallelochemicals, (iv) phenolic compounds as one of casual factors of apple replant problem. She is the co-author of a monograph, methodological manuals and numerous research papers indexed on Journal Citation Reports. In 2004, she was granted Life Time Achievements Award by International Allelopathy Foundation and in 2008 Award of Minister of Science and Higher Education for the academic manual of Plant Physiology.
