PNABD246.pdf

Foreword
Less than thirty years ago, serious agricuJtural researchers could maintain
contact with nearly all of the significant contributors in their field of interest.
Researckl literature was also manageable and it was not uncommon to see a stock of
white cards on an investigator's desk which held sunnaries !f the most pertinent
literature of the period. Currently, in any one field, there may be 300-500
researchers, and each month in the field of agro-biology there is generated more
than a 2 meter long shelf of scientific literature.
This informatioa explosion is both wonderful and frustrating. In sophisticated
places of research, information retrieval is aided by computers; but even so, indepth
search of the actual literature must be made. In many parts of the world,
literature search is a major constraint for researchers. Libraries may be far away,
inadequate or difficult to acccss.
Bibliographies are often a great boon to investigators in developing countries.
They provide a measure of awareness and currency of information, at least to the
date of publi.cation. It is to this air, that the AVRDC bibliography series is
dedicat:d. Your siggcscions as to how we may better serve the vegetable researchers
in the humid trcpics would be most welcome.
V
George A. Malowe
Director General