Vascular Differentiation and Plant Growth Regulators. With a Foreword by R.D.Preston. 1988. (Springer Se- ries in Wood Science). 29 figs. X,154 p. gr8vo. Hard cover.

The main objective of the book is to provide an up-to-date examinationof the possible roles of plant hormones during the cytodifferentiationof xylem and phloem elements in higher plants. Various facets ofvascular differentiation, as cell determination, cell cycle activity,and the biochemical events in xylogenesis, are analyzed. Furthermore,the latest information on the roles of auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins,ethylene, and abscisic acid during vascular cell formation aresummarized. A theoretical discussion of the six-point hypothesis and thevascular adaptation hypothesis is included. The experimental inductionof vascular differentiation under tissue culture conditions iscritically appraised and a concluding chapter covers the interactionsbetween physical factors, growth regulators, and differentiation.