Advances in Agronomy continues to be recognized as a leading reference and a first-rate source of the latest research in agronomy. Major reviews deal with the current topics of interest to agronomists, as well as crop and soil scientists. As always, the subjects covered are varied and exemplary of the myriad of subject matter dealt with by this long-running serial. Editor Donald Sparks, former president of the Soil Science Society of America and current president of the International Union of Soil Science, is the S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Plant and Soil Sciences at The University of Delaware.

Volume 86 contains seven excellent reviews that discuss topics critical to agricultural and environmental sustainability. Topics include: Arsenic Contamination and its Risk Management in Complex Environmental Settings; The Contribution of Breeding to Yield Advances in Maize (Zea mays L.); Metabolic Engineering of Isoflavone Biosynthesis; Biological Control of Weeds With Antagonistic Plant Pathogens; Nutrient Stocks, Nutrient Cycling and Soil Changes in Cocoa Ecosystems – A Review; Rice-Wheat Cropping Systems; Interactions of Nitrogen with Other Nutrients and Water: Effect on Crop Yield and Quality, Nutrient Use Efficiency, Carbon Sequestration and Environmental Pollution.