Diseases of Trees and Shrubs - 2nd Edition by Wayne Sinclair & Howard H Lyon (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

First published in 1987, Diseases of Trees and Shrubs has become a standard reference for plant health specialists, plant diagnosticians, horticulturists, arborists, foresters, and their students.

Now thoroughly revised, fully updated, and illustrated with more than 2200 digitally optimized color images in 261 full-color plates and more than 350 black-and-white photographs and drawings, the second edition is an unrivalled survey of the diseases of forest and shade trees and woody ornamental plants in the United States and Canada.

The book is both an authoritative reference book and a powerful diagnostic tool. Organized according to type of disease-inducing agent, the second edition is also designed to be helpful in classroom and field instruction. Symptoms, signs, and cycles of hundreds of diseases are described and microscopic features of many pathogens are depicted in photos and line drawings.

This remarkable scholarly work--praised as one of the best horticultural books of the twentieth century--lays claim to the same accolade for the twenty-first century.

Review Quotes

A truly superior reference work returns new and improved, with both form and content reflecting advances in knowledge. The high praise that met the 1987 release of this book's first edition--one reviewer called it one of the 'ten best horticultural books of the century'--seems equally deserved for the second edition. 'Diseases' describes 470 afflictions affecting more than 300 species and occurring in the temperate regions of the United States and Canada; another 50 chemical, physical, or unknown agents are also portrayed. This is a diagnostic manual, and as such, discussion of control measures is negligible. Far from resting on their laurels, Sinclair and Lyon have made some key improvements to their work. Perhaps the most striking of these are the book's distinctly sharper, digitally optimized images, more than 2000 of them in color. Those who teach (or study) the subject may appreciate Sinclair and Lyon's tweaks to the preliminary apparatus in the new edition, changes that help make a prodigious amount of technical information a little more intelligible. Fairly easy diagnostic reference is made possible with an index that lists both the scientific (genus judiciously boldfaced) and common names of plants. Bottom Line: This book will continue to be the standard reference for those who deal with tree and shrub pathology professionally, but gardeners with problems will find it just as indispensable. (Amateurs, of course, might do just as well examining the pictures.) An essential purchase for special horticultural, academic, and large public collections.

The book arrives at a time of biological globalization and environmental change bearing the high risk of new pathogen introductions and emerging diseases. It is therefore indispensible also for forest pathologists outside of North America. The main emphasis of the book is on infectious disease, but nutrient deficiencies, damages by heat, drought and freezing, sides effects of pesticides and damages by air pollution are also included. This book is of the highest possible quality and it is a really magnificent resource for anybody who is facing the challenge of tree disease diagnosis. Moreover, the book is a celebration of biodiversity associated with woody plants as well as an aesthetic enjoyment.

This book is a remarkable contribution to the literature on tree pathology, providing a valuable source of reference on tree disease for all with an interest in the subject. It must surely be almost obligatory reading for the specialist tree pathologist, and will prove of great value to all tree care professionals. It will fascinate any tree lovers who wish to find out more about the diseases and disorders that may afflict trees.

This is an absolute 'must have' for all professional tree people. A complete and thorough revision of the 1987 classic, it contains more than 2,000 digitally optimized color images of all important diseases of trees and woody ornamentals of the US and Canada. Having used the original book as a disease bible a gazillion times, this reviewer was amazed to discover that the authors could make such substantial improvements. Most of the color plates are completely new sets of photos, and they are of the highest quality. Important new diseases that have come onto the scene in the last 20 years, such as dogwood anthracnose, have been added. The authors have introduced a number of new microscopic figures to help in the positive identification of various pathogens. As in the first volume, the authors do a wonderfully thorough job with the descriptive information presented for diseases. This reference classic should be part of the library of every plant health care specialist, forester, horticulturist, and student in the field. Essential.

Diseases of Trees and Shrubs is by far the best book currently available for the horticulturist, arborist, or forester who wishes to identify disorders of forest and shade trees and woody ornamentals.

It is well written and it is illustrated with photographs of such high quality that in this respect it could be described as a 'coffee table' book of forest pathology.

One of the ten best horticultural books of the century.

About the Author

Wayne A. Sinclair is Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Cornell University. Howard H. Lyon was from 1950 to 1985 the photographer for the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University.