This summary of what is known about microclimaticenvironments and the eff ects of climate on plant growthpresents a comprehensive statement on the complex relationshipbetween climate and agriculture. Th e authorcovers the theory and data of modern physical geography,meteorology, and agronomy within the context of contemporaryecological analysis to produce a book invaluablenot only to the student and research worker but also onethat deals for the fi rst time with the application of theoryto real problems of energy budgets and water balance forthe practical agronomist.

Arranged according to the physical processes that aff ectthe climate/plant relationship, the book is divided intotwo parts. The first part considers radiation fl ux in thefree atmosphere and in the biosphere near the ground, theprocesses of photosynthesis and photoperiodism, and theeffect of radiation and temperature on plant growth. Thesecond part discusses in detail methods of determining orestimating both potential and actual evapotranspiration,the meteorological approach of computing water balance,and the eff ect of water on plant growth.

The author's clear and logical presentation of material,emphasizing general principles rather than experimentaland technical details, makes this book especially usefulfor students of agricultural climatology. The broad scopeof the work and its comprehensive survey of the literaturemake it equally a valuable reference for professionals inphysical geography, meteorology, agronomy, botany, plantphysiology, soil science, and hydrology.

Jen-Hu Chang is professor emeritus of geography and climatologyat the University of Hawaii. He is a past member of theeditorial board of the Annuals of the Association of AmericanGeographers and is past secretary of the Hawaiian GeophysicalSociety. He is the author of Atmospheric Circulation Systems andClimates, Agricultural Geography of Taiwan, and Problems andMethods in Agricultural Climatology.