The genesis of the International Food Legume Research Conference (IFLRC) can be traced back to 1983 - and so this Volume, the Proceedings of that Conference, has had a gestation period of close to five years. Professor Norman Simmonds, the perennial Book Review Editor of Experimental Agriculture, has expressed the opinion (vol. 22, p. 201, 1986) that "Many symposial volumes are just plain awful!" Elsewhere (Nature vol. 312, pp. 201-2, 1984), Anthony Watkinson - then a Commissioning Editor at Oxford University Press has described several reasons which have led him to believe that "Conference proceedings - symposia - are generally disliked . . . . To put it mildly, this type of publication has a bad name". The problems, from an author's perspective, of contributing to any many-authored publication are aired in an exchange of correspondence in Biologist (vol. 30, pp. 123 and 180, 1983; and vol. 31, pp. 3 and 69,1984). And from the editor's viewpoint, D. J. Weatherall - then Nuffield Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford - has described (Nature vol. 317, p.

Evolution of rice weed control practices and research: world perspective; Weeds of major economic importance in rice and yield lasses due to weed competition; Weed control practices as a component of rice production systems; Effects of hydrology, soil moisture regime, and fertility management on weed populations and their control in rice; Effects of stand establishment techniques on weed population in rice; The role of cropping systems on weeds in rice; Weed control technology in irrigated rice; Weed control technology in rainfed wetland rice; Importance rice weeds in Latin America; Weed control and rice production in Brazil.

This book discusses the biological control of weeds using arthropods, providing ecological management models for use across the tropical world.

International networks; Varietal improvement; Soil, crop, and water management; Pest management; Technology transfer.

Invasive alien species are a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems throughout the world. In India, a country with four of the world's most important 'biodiversity hotspots', the invasion of alien plants means risking a national ecological disaster with major social and economic consequences. Currently, there is insufficient information about invasive alien plants; their distribution, rate of spread and adaptability to new environments. This book reveals existing and potential invaders, evaluates the level of risk they pose to native species and suggests steps to manage spread and limit damage. Invaluable to policy-makers, this book is also required reading for researchers of invasive plants worldwide.