Hartmann and Kester's Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition) (Book & CD) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Hudson T. Hartmann, Dale E. Kester, Fred E. Davies, Robert Geneve
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Category: Book
List Price: $126.60
Buy New: $67.28
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New (22) Used (17) from $67.28
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 300525
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 7
Pages: 880
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.5
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.6 x 1.6
ISBN: 0136792359
Dewey Decimal Number: 631.53
EAN: 9780136792352
ASIN: 0136792359
Publication Date: December 7, 2001
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Product Description
For university-level courses in Plant Propagation. Some background in biology is assumed. Hallmarked as the most successful text of its kind, this remarkably thorough book covers all aspects of the propagation of plants--both sexual and asexual--with considerable attention given to human (vs natural) efforts to increase plant numbers. The text presents both the art and science of propagation, and conveys knowledge of specific kinds of plants and the particular methods by which those plants must be propagated.
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| Customer Reviews:
 great resource March 6, 2008
moss dog (Arkansas)
I'm a first year Horticulture student, and this is my text for Plant Prop. Almost all of the information I've read so far - a few hundred pages - is new to me. Hartmann et. al. do a great job of taking complex, unfamiliar information and expressing it simply and clearly, so that I understand. In the margins of every page, they break out and define important terms, making it very easy to locate definitions when I need them. There are frequent boxes with "in depth" information that more fully explores concepts brought up in the general narrative.
There's also a CD-Rom dictionary, which is helpful, although I find the access is a bit cumbersome - click on a letter, wait for it to open a list, click on a word (if the word you want is there - many of the ones I wanted to find are not included), wait for it to open the definition & picture, then click back to the first page. If it were simply searchable - if I could type in a word without clicking through the various screens - I'd use it more. It's a nice bonus, though, and they didn't have to include anything at all so it seems unfair to rate the book based on the accessibility of the disc contents.
I will say this book would be most useful in tandem with practical labs that explore the concepts and offer the chance to experience what is in the text. I'm taking my class as an independent study, and I find it is very challenging to teach myself all of this material without the benefit of labs, even though my advisor is excellent and always available for my questions. I generally read the text at least twice and often four times, because it's so intense that I don't catch everything on the first run. I plan to try some of the techniques myself, once I gather the supplies I'll need; I think this will make all the difference in my true understanding and retention of what I've read about, and my advisor agrees.
To instructors, I'd say to just be aware that even though the information is presented gently, it's still a lot for a new student to take in, and even the most conscientious student can get overwhelmed by a 100-page reading assignment. It's too much. Break it up, work in some labs, and really encourage discussion to make it come alive. In that context, I can't imagine a better text to use for teaching Plant Prop.
Hartmann and Kester's Plant Propagation April 10, 2003
Roy Leggitt (San Francisco, CA USA)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
This was one of my textbooks 15 years ago, and I have depended on it in various editions ever since. The information is very dependable and complete.
 This book has lost its focus October 14, 2002
Margaret Norton
41 out of 41 found this review helpful
I was looking forward to the new edition of this classic, but I have to say that I'm really disappointed. It's marketed as an undergraduate textbook in plant propagation (which is how I'm using it), but the content is more suited to students with a background including plant physiology and biochemistry, rather than just an introductory plant biology course, which is what my students have. I can understand the authors' desire to make this the definitive textbook on plant propagation, but including details on biochemistry and molecular biology most often obscures the important, basic points. For example, the whole-page figure (p. 17) on the stages of meiosis shows the stages of meiosis, but does not specify that the reduction division is the first division (the information is there, but you have to read closely to find it). Contrast that with the 5th edition, which states outright that the reduction division occurs first and skips details of anaphase I, etc. This may seem petty, but in my class, students got lost in the details and missed the major point of meiosis. Worse, when it comes to growth regulators, the students simply lost interest in wading through the details to get any information.I think this edition would be improved by two things: first, skip the "lit review" style of the text and return to a simple narrative emphasizing the basic points of plant propagation. Second, move the details to a separate area of the book, either at the end of each chapter or as Part 2 of the book. For example, a short narrative section explaining each of the growth regulators might be followed by an "in depth" section which cites research relevant to growth regulators in plant propagation. Instructors who teach undergrads could assign reading based on the narrative sections, while instructors with more advanced classes (or students who are interested in learning more) could assign the more detailed sections as well. It's either that or create two books. My students are simply not reading this book, which is a shame. My older edition is one of the most tattered books on my bookshelf because I reach for it so often.
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