The book by M. Imran Kozgar aims to cover the problems of mutation breeding in pulse crops in the light of issues related to food insecurity and malnutrition, which according to FAO are the major threats at the present time. So far the research on induction of mutation in pulse crops is negligible compared to cereal crops, though the pulse crops and especially the chickpea are the largest grown crops in India. The main objective of the book is to reveal and explore the possibility of inducing genetic variability in early generations of mutated chickpea, describe the positive aspects of mutagenic treatments, evaluate the content of mineral elements (iron, manganese, zinc and copper) and physiological parameters of isolated high yielding mutant lines. The author hopes that his book will help to advance studies on pulse crops, and that in the long term it will help to reduce the food insecurity and malnutrition problems presently persisting in various developing countries, including India.

This book was tbe result of a symposium beld at tbe American Cbernical Society meeting in Miami Beacb, Florida, September 10-15, 1989. The symposium was jointly sponsored by Tbe Society for Economfc Botany and tbe American Cbernical Society Food and Natural Product sub division. Tbere were five speakers. During tbe social sessions (mostly over drinks in abotel room), it became obvious tbat, regardless of tbe discipline, we were all speaking tbe same language. Yet, prior to tbe symposium, only a few of tbe participants knew one anotber. We decided to expand tbe symposium into a book. The book would, we boped, accomplish for otbers wbat we bad discovered in ourselves. That is, the field of Natural Products is broad, but similar in techniques and approach, ancient but modern, and bas been and continues to be extremely valuable to humankind. We wanted the book to serve as an introductory text for courses and as a reference work for the future. We also determined to include the structure of every chemical in the chapter where it was mentioned so the reader would not have to find the structure somewhere else or to try and deduce the structure from the chemical name. Little did we know what an undertaking these goals would be or the time this would take.