The series Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops are reviewed in several science journals for its uniqueness and richness in content and botanical information. Enlarging the food base and food basket along with validated information on plants for industry, dyes, timber, energy and medicine is the core theme of the series. The third volume has 25 s written by 46 scientists from UK, Mexico, Spain, India, USA, Turkey and Nigeria. The crops covered are atuna, African de bolita, capers and caper plants, kair, natural dye plants, plants used for dye sources, underutilized wild edible fruits of Kerala, bael, carambola, tropical plum, citrus, fig, guava, star gooseberry, hog-plum, underutilized leaf vegetables of sub-Himalayan terai region, underutilized vegetables of Tripura, agathi and chekkurmanis, celosia, colocasia, edible begonias, kangkong, underutilized palms, Atuna and African de bolita are new crops to Indian readeNatural dyes are attaining significant commercial importance in view of the negative effects of synthetic dyes which are allergic and in  a few cases carcinogenic. Underutilized fruits like bael, carambola, tropical plum, fig, star gooseberry and hog-plum are receiving attention in view of their wider adaptability and suitability to grow under conditions of stress. Underexploited leaf vegetables like agathi, chekkurmanis, celosia, edible begonias and kangkong have been given prominence. Prof.Ghillean T Prance, FRS has contributed the on Atuna. The Editor is Dr K V Peter Former Vice-Chancellor, Kerala Agricultural University.

K.V.Peter: Professor of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur 680 656, Kerala,India

General: 1. Atuna racemosa Rafin. (Chrysobalanaceae) by Ghillean T. Prance 2. Azafran De Bolita (Distaxis heterantha Zucc) : New Crop for Semiarid Land—A Food Pigment Producing Plant by Eugenia Lugo-Cervantes 3. Capers and Caper Plants—History, Taxonomy and Uses by Rivera, D., Obón, C., Alcaraz, F., Inocencio, C. 4. Kair (Capparis decidua) by S. Pareek & R. Paliwal 5. Natural Dye Plants by Cyrus MacFoy 6. Plants Used as Dye Sources by Dogan Y., Baslar S., Ozturk M. & Mert H.H. Fruits: 7. History and Development of Pomiculture with Special Reference to the Underutilized Wild Edible Fruits of Kerala, India by S.P. Mathew, S.M. Shareef, C.P. Koshy & S. Ganeshan 8. Bael (Aegle marmelos Correa) by Pandey D., Shukla S. K. & Pandey G. 9. Carambola by Sarah T George 10. Tropical Plum by Sarah T George & Rejina. K. 11. The Cultivated Citrus-Origin, History and Traditional Uses known in the Mediterranean Region by Ramon-Lacae. T. S. De 12. Fig by Sarah T George & Koshy Abraham 13. Guava (Psidium guajava L.) by K. Dhinesh Babu, Amit Nath, L. C. De, B. C. Deka & K. M. Bujarbaruah 14. Star Gooseberry by Sarah T George and Rejina. K 15. Hog - Plum by Sarah T George and Rejina. K Vegetables: 16. Underutilized Leafy Vegetables of Sub-Himalyan Terai Region by J. C. Jana 17. Underutilized Vegetable Crops in Tripura by M. Sankaran, N. P. Singh & Jai Prakash 18. Agathi and Chekkurmanis Nutritive Perennial Greens by K. Krishnakumari 19. Performance of Celosia argentea (L) as Influenced by Pollution and Fertilizer Application in a Typical Eustalf by B.A. Senjobi, A.A. Akinpelu, G.E. Akinbola, C.T. Senjobi S.A. Ayanlaja & A.O. Ogunkunle 20. Colocasia gigantea by My Lein T. Nguyen 21. Edible Begonias by Francisco Basurto Peña, Delia Castro Lara & Miguel Angel Martínez Alfaro 22. Kangkong - Ipomoea aquatica Farsk by Krishnakumari K. 23. Tree Tomato (Cyphomandra betacea Sendt.) by Sadhan Kumar, P.G. & S. Nirmala Devi Plantation Crops: 24. Underutilized Palms by S. Arulraj & B. Augustine Jerard