The cultivation of rice in Japan has suffered from damage caused by baka nae disease, in which rice seedlings show abnormal growth (elongation) as the result of infection by a plant pathogen. Investigation of the taxonomy of this pathogen led to the commencement of gibberellin (GA) research among Japanese plant pathologists, who later identified it as Gibberella jujikuroi, its other name being Fusarium moniliforme. In 1926, Kurosawa demon strated the occurrence of an active principle in the culture media of fungus that showed the same symptoms as those of the rice disease. In 1938, this finding was followed by the successful isolation of the active principles as crystals from the culture filtrate. This was achieved by the Japanese agri cultural chemists Yabuta and Sumiki, of The University of Tokyo, who named these active principles gibberellins A and B. Following World War II, this discovery attracted the interest of scientists around the world, and research on GA was pursued on a worldwide scale. One of the most outstanding discoveries in GA research after the isolation of GA as the metabolite of the plant pathogen must be the isolation and characterization of GAs from tissues of higher plants by the MacMillan group, West and Phinney, and the Tokyo University group in 1958 and 1959. Thus, GAs have been recognized as one of the most important classes of plant hormones.

First discovered as fungal metabolites, the gibberellins were recognised as plant hormones over 50 years ago. They regulate reproductive development in all vascular plants, while their role in flowering plants has broadened to include also the regulation of growth and other developmental processes. This timely book covers the substantial and impressive recent advances in our understanding of the gibberellins and their roles in plant development, including the biosynthesis, inactivation, transport, perception and signal transduction of these important hormones. An introductory chapter traces the history of gibberellin research, describing the many discoveries that form the basis for the recent progress. The exciting emerging evidence for the interaction of gibberellin signalling with that of the other hormones is critically evaluated. The occurrence of gibberellins in fungal, bacterial and lower plant species is also discussed, with emphasis on evolution. Manipulation of gibberellin metabolism and signal transduction through chemical or genetic intervention has been an important aspect of crop husbandry for many years. The reader is presented with important information on the advances in applying gibberellin research in agriculture and horticulture. Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 49: The Gibberellins is an important resource for plant geneticists and biochemists, as well as agricultural and horticultural research workers, advanced students of plant science and university lecturers in related disciplines. It is an essential addition to the shelves of university and research institute libraries and agricultural and horticultural institutions teaching and researching plant science.