viiI would like to express my special appreciation for secretarial assistance from Mrs. Elenor R. Loya, De-
partment of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona. Additional assistance by the
secretarial staff of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, is also greatly appreciated.
In addition, my sincere gratitude is extended to Mr. Russell Dekker (Chief Publishing Officer, Mar-
cel Dekker, Inc.), who supported this project from its initiation to its completion. Certainly, this job would
not have been completed as smoothly and rapidly without his most valuable support and sincere efforts.
Also, Production Editor Ms. Dana Bigelow’s patience and outstanding efforts in the careful and profes-
sional handling of this volume are greatly appreciated. The precision and accuracy of the copyeditor, Ms.
Mary Prescott, are sincerely acknowledged.
The invaluable efforts of every one of the contributors are deeply appreciated. Their proficiency and
knowledge in their areas of expertise made this significant task possible.
I thank my wife, Vinca, for her support in the completion of this work. Last, but not least, I would
like to express my gratitude to my son, Mahdi, who had great patience and understanding and let me take
time to complete this project that would have otherwise been spent with him.
Acknowledgments