Books reviewed in this article: Abscisic Acid: Physiology and Biochemistry. Ed. by W. J. Davies and H. G. Jones Plant Breeding in the 1990s. Ed. by H. T. Stalker and J.P. Murphy Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Cropping Systems. By K. E. Giller and K. J. Wilson Vascular-Streak Dieback of Cocoa. By P. J. Keane and C. Prior Coniferous Forest Ecology, from an International Perspective. Ed. by N. Nakagoshi and F. B. Golley The Biology of Vines. Ed. by F. E. Putz and H. A. Mooney Algal Cell Motility. Ed. by M. Melkonian Growth and Reproductive Strategies of Freshwater Phytoplankton. Ed. by Craig D. Sandgren Spores of the Pteridophyta. By Alice F. Tryon and Bernard Lugardon Practical Taxonomic Computing. By R. J. Pankhurst.