This book includes keynote invited papers from the Third International Crop Science Congress held in Hamburg, Germany in August 2000. All papers have been prepared and revised within strict editorial guidelines to ensure that the work is a balanced review text that provides an overview of the major issues confronting crop science today and in the future. It therefore represents a suitable advanced textbook for students as well as offering research workers concise overviews of topics adjacent to their areas of research. Contributors include leading world authorities from Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.