Volume 58 contains seven reviews covering key contemporary topics on crop and soil sciences. Three of these reviews focus upon soils; in particular, biodegradation of soil pollutants, modelling of solute transport in soils, and the analysis of soil salinity. The other four papers deal especially with crops: herbicide resistance, silicon and rice production, the use of tissue cultures for crop improvement, and crop water relations. With this latest volume, Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and as a first-rate source of the latest research in agronomy, crop science, and soil science. - Biodegradation of soil pollutants - Herbicide resistance - Silicon management - Modeling solute transport in soils - Tissue cultures and crop improvement - Soil salinity - Crop/water relations