Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD), unified modeling language (UML), and design patterns are widely used for developing software-intensive systems. Papajorgji and Pardalos, however, claim that the field of agriculture has lagged behind in adopting these software engineering techniques for creating agricultural systems. In their book, they provide an introductory treatment of these techniques, and demonstrate their use in a simulation system taken from the domain of agriculture. The book will be useful for those interested in gaining a quick understanding of current software development techniques, and how they are applied in practice.

The book has 11 chapters, organized into two parts. The first part consists of seven chapters that provide a broad overview of OOAD, modeling software systems using UML, and the use of design patterns in creating such systems. Readers not familiar with these topics would need to go to other sources to gain an in-depth understanding. The second part, containing the last four chapters, applies the concepts discussed in the first part of the book to the analysis, design, and development of a simulator for studying the impact of soil parameters on crop growth. The simulator serves as an illustrative example, but does not provide a detailed treatment of the domain of agriculture.

In conclusion, this is a good introductory text on the application of OOAD, UML, and design patterns to the creation of agricultural systems. It is technically sound and well written. Readers looking for an advanced treatment of these topics would, however, find it less suitable for their needs.