The book is based on papers presented at a conference held in Oxford in March 1993 under the BRIDGE-COST-88 programme developed by the Commission of the European Communities. A wide range of fungi, which are pathogens of a variety of crop and ornamental plants, is covered and the book is aimed at postgraduate students and research workers in mycology and plant pathology, including those involved in routine testing of plants for quarantine or other purposes.

Robert E. Paull graduated from the University of Sydney with a BS in Agronomy, was involved in cotton production research before going to the University of California in Berkeley for a PhD in plant physiology. He returned to Australia and carried out research on chilling injury of tropical plants before his appointment to the University of Hawaii to teach and do research on postharvest physiology and handling. He teaches plant physiology and provides guest lectures on postharvest physiology and handling in applied courses. His research focuses on the adaptation and application of technology to the improvement of postharvest handling in a integrated and systematic way. This research has lead to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and over 80 extension type articles. He is co-author on three books and has co-edited five including The Encyclopedia of Fruits and Nuts, published by CABI with Dr. Jules Janick.