This book addresses a highly controversial area of science, namely the long-term ecological sustainability of biofuel production. From this perspective the book is very timely and should be read by anyone interested in the current debate surrounding the selection of options for greenhouse gas mitigation. The editors nicely bring together 27 authors, largely from Austria, USA and Brazil, in a series of eight chapters to present a state-of-the-art review of soil properties and processes impacted upon by biomass crop harvesting. Overall, the book takes a global view although some authors do focus on their own national data to exemplify key issues. The chapters address the ecological consequences of a range of biofuel/bioenergy production systems. It offers advice for maintaining soil quality in such systems and achieving economic balance in the competition for arable land between food and biofuel production. One strong aspect of the book is that each chapter contains a good final summary allowing the reader to become quickly versed with the major issues. The final synopsis chapter also highlights current major areas of uncertainty and future research directions. It clearly highlights the complexity in assessing the sustainability of biofuel production systems and the need to take a holistic view.

In summary, the book is well written and contains lots of valuable information. The presentation and figures are of high quality and the book contains a wealth of information suitable for a range of audiences. In my opinion this book represents a worthy purchase although the price is somewhat restrictive for students. It will make good reading for many agronomy, plant nutrition and agricultural extension professionals.