The increase in agricultural productivity has been and continues to be generated by the use of chemicals. This is achieved by assisting growth using artificial fertilizers and plant growth regulators that replace the nutrients in the soil extracted by plants as they grow, as well as by minimizing attacks by pests on crops by way of repellent chemicals.This one-stop reference for everyone working in the agrochemical business is written from a truly international industrial perspective, with first-class authors from such leading companies as Bayer, Dow, Syngenta and BASF. In three volumes it addresses all important aspects, from the history to the mode of action, from the effects on the organism to major commercial products and industrial synthesis. Following an introduction, individual sections cover herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and new research methods. A series of special chapters cover hot topics such as high throughput screening in modern agrochemical research, the role of fluorine, and consequences for modern drug design.A comprehensive source of top quality information.