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"Diseases of Trees and Shrubs"

There is only one book you need to read on the subject: "Diseases of Trees and Shrubs."

*Sinclair, Wayne A. & Howard H. Lyon. Diseases of Trees and Shrubs. 2d ed.
Comstock: Cornell Univ. 2005. 660p. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8014-4371-7 [ISBN
978-0-8014-4371-8]. $85 with CD-ROM. REF
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 (plant pathology,
emeritus, Cornell) and Lyon (plant pathology, Cornell) 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. For readers who need further information, there is also the
addition of a CD-ROM, which provides swift and easy access to the book's
4500 references. 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.-Library Journal