DONALD L. SPARKS is the Unidel S. Hallock du Pont Chair and Francis Alison Professor at the University of Delaware. He is internationally recognized for his research in the areas of kinetics of biogeochemical processes and surface chemistry of natural materials. His research has focused on fate and transport of trace metals in soil and water, soil remediation, water quality, and carbon sequestration in soils. Dr. Sparks is the author of two previous editions of Environmental Soil Chemistry and more than 350 refereed papers and book chapters. He is fellow of five scientific societies, and he has been the recipient of major awards and lectureships including the Geochemistry Medal from the American Chemical Society, the Liebig Medal from the International Union of Soil Sciences, the Einstein Professorship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Philippe Duchaufour Medal from the European Geosciences Union. Dr. Sparks served as president of the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences, has served on advisory committees for several national laboratories and national and international centers and institutes, and served as chair of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Committee for Soil Sciences and other NAS Committees.

• 1. The Global Dispersion of Pathogenic Microorganisms by Dust Storms and its Relevance to AgricultureCristina Gonzalez-Martin, Nuria Teigell-Perez, Basilio Valladares and Dale W. Griffin 2. Nature of the Below-Ground Ecosystem and its Development During PedogenesisRichard.J. Haynes3. Agronomic and Physiological Responses to High Temperature, Drought and Elevated CO2 Interaction in CerealsNiteen N. Kadam, Gui Xiao, Reneeliza Jean Melgar, Rajeev N. Bahuguna, Cherryl Quinones, Anandhan Tamilselvan, Pagadala Vara V. Prasad and Krishna S. V. Jagadish4. Improving Water Productivity of Wheat-Based Cropping Systems in South Asia for Sustained ProductivitySurinder S. Kukal, Yadvinder-Singh, Mangi Lal Jat and Harminder S. Sidhu