ISHS Acta Horticulturae 100: Symposium on Production of Tomatoes for Processing
FOREWORD |
| Abstract:
As final editor of Acta Horticulturae it is a pleasure to me to present this volume which has received the number 100. It is not only therefore that this volume is special, but also because it contains the proceedings of the first symposium organized in Portugal and the first symposium on tomatoes for processing too. The 49 papers of this very successful symposium make this volume of interest for a wide scale of people involved in tomatoes. It has taken a rather long period to reach this landmark in the history of Acta Horticulturae. Number 1 was published in October 1963, four years after the foundation of the International Society for Horticultural Science. In July 1972 we reached number 25, three years later in May 1975 we could publish number 50 and now we have come in four and a half year to the volume with number 100. This shows that the activities of ISHS have increased considerably over the world and when we may continue under the same circumstances as met during the last years, we have to meet a yearly production of 10–12 volumes. Thanks to the important assistance of authors, conveners and the chairmen of sections, commissions and working groups it is possible to organize the symposia and the preparation of the lectures, so that in rather many cases the proceedings can be quickly published. With the assistance of so many members of ISHS and expecially of the editing staff, in good contacts with printers and binders working for ISHS since many years, it is possible to accomplish in good harmony the important work of publishing for a reasonable price. I hope that in the future this work can be continued in the same way as in the last decade. The International Society for Horticultural Science provides an enormous reservoir of scientist of different fields of specialty to discuss actual problems of plant production, of land utilization, or of food supply from different aspects, and to gain useful results. So I am very pleased about the fact that - owing to an initiative taken by our always actively collaborating Council member Prof.dr. Portas - the production of tomatoes for porcessing has become the subject dealt with at this special symposium. Production of the most important food plants grown all over the world - and tomatoes do belong to such plants - is more and more placed to locations providing an ecological optimum for theirn growth. Great technical progress has made production as cheap as possible. We have to take care for keeping, or even improving quality of the product. Such demands made the convernors of this symposium prepare a most interesting program, on which we can congratulate them. I have to give kindest regards of the ISHS and of its Secretary General Dr, de Bakker to the organizers and to the participants of the symposium. Our special thanks goes to all of the organizations and authorities involved in preparing and arranging this meeting: to Prof.dr. Portas who has taken the initiative, to Mr. Weber de Oliveira who has been organizing this meeting, to the Portuguese Horticultural Society, to many authorities, to many friendly people, and to institutions and holdings which have supported this symposium generously. Many of us know the tremendous work necessary for preparation. We have also to thank the University of Evora and its president Prof.dr. Azevedo, and great a number of persons who have been assisting the convenors. And last but not least I mention the Section for Vegetables of the ISHS and its chairman Dr. van Kampen. I am convinced that we will experience most interesting lectures and discussions during the next days to come. Some of us joined a most interesting excursion that already gave valuable impressions. I should like to express our sincere thanks for this, too, to all those responsible. It has become a traditions of ISHS symposium that an official representative of the Society informs the participants about the ISHS (and invites to membership simultaneously): At present, the ISHS council is composed of the official representative of 46 country members.
More than 220 organizations, e.g. libraries and institutes are affiliated, and 1,800 individual persons from 73 countries are members of the Society.
Members are kept informed of activities by three issues a year of Chronica Horticulturae.
Papers delivered at symposia are published in special issues of Acta Horticulturae.
Members are also informed about addresses of specialists and institutes from all over the world by the list of members of the ISHS, and by a directory 'Horticultural Research International'. The scientific and technical work on specific fields of horticultural sciences is carried out by sections for fruit, vegetables and ornamentals, and by commissions involved with overlapping fields of work, e.g. engineering, or economics, etc. This groupingn has proved very useful. The executive committee consists of the 13 chairmen of the sections and commissions together with the Secretary General and the President. The place of business of the Secretariat General is Den Haag. Symposia, 15 to 20, take place in different countries every year. Every four years, international horticultural congress are organized by the ISHS, the next one in 1982. Ladies and gentlemen, I should like to invite you to participate in this 21st International Horticultural congress. It will take place in Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany from 29th August to 4th September 1982. Circular no. 1 this Congress will be sent out form September 1979. All of you who are not members of th ISHS but would like to become informed of the Congress, send your address to the congress secretariat please. The Congress will focus on 'Horticulture in the Industrial Society'. This means that great a variety of aspects of horticulture and horticultural sciences will be dealt with. Several pre- and post-congress tours of 4 to 5 days duration to different places of northern Europe will be arranged. Brief local excursion in a and around Hamburg will be offered during the Congress. We will try to organize a Congress of high scientific standard, as well as to chose subjects of worldwide interest. I am inviting all of you to attend the 21st International Horticultural Congress in Hamburg 1982, and of course also the 22nd to take place in the USA i 1986. But now let us return to Portugal.
For the next few days to come we will be provided the opportunity of discussing special problems, and of establishing and maintaining personal contacts.
I hope that that there may be no invicible linguistic barries but mutual understanding beyond all borders, as it is an old tradition of the ISHS. Hearty thanks again for your invitation and kind hospitality.
I wish the symposium to become a success. We are gathered for the official opening ceremonies of the first International Symposium on the Production of Tomatoes for Processing, which has been organized by the "Associação Portuguesa de Horticultura", within the annual program of the International Society for Horticultural Science. We have great pleasure in having with us the representative of twenty one countries, all of whom to a greater or lesser extent are linked to this crop, a horticultural crop which over the past quarter of a century has developed so dramatically throughout the world. In particular we would like to thank one of them Prof. Dr. Dietrich Fritz, from the University of Munich and President of the International Society for Horticultural Science, for honouring us with his presence. We would like to welcome you to Portugal, a country of such ancient traditions and outgoing evidenced so clearly in history by the voyages of its courageous sailors who traced the outlines of so much of the world map as we now know it; welcome to this town and University, in the centre of our Alentejo's plain, whose people have such rich cultural traditions; welcome to this Symposium, which is the product of your efforts and good will, to which we have contributed with our labours. We hope you will enjoy it and that it will of great use to you all. The basis of our program was drawn up after carefull thought and we have consciously chosen to emphasize the efforts of our colleagues involved in scientific research and of those responsible for the translation of their findings into practical results. These people have contributed each in their respective measure to the successfull expansion of this crop and have placed it at the forefront of horticultural crops. We have purposely neglected the commercial aspects because although they may appear to have overriding influence on the crop at any moment, when they are viewed over a period of time are found to be flexible and inconstant and do not alter the basic substance which is the growth and developement of this species and our understanding of it. The Symposium is divided into five major sessions: the first, which is purely informative, attempts to set out as complete a picture as possible of the evolution of the processing tomatoes in the various producing countries, regardless of their relative importance or their greater or lesser technological efficiency; the second and third sessions concern agricultural aspects, with particular emphasis placed on development of technoogies allied to mechanical harvest and bulk handling; the Fourth session is entirily devoted to the improvement of this species and deals with the problems of the production and introduction of improved cultivars; in the fifth and final session the intention is to obtain a glimpse of the future and to have an indication of the evolution of this crop in its multiple facets, focusing specificaly on the genetic and the cultural aspects, as well as on their interactions with technological advances; finally and with special thanks to Prof. Dr. Reimer von Alvensleben, we will discuss a subject which will be of particular importance to us Europeans and which is linked to the future of processing tomatoes in an enlarged European Economic Community. This is briefly the plan of the Symposium. The response to our initiative has largely exceeded our most optimistic forecast and the value and importance of the papers presented are witness to the depth of the interest in this crop. We are sure that we will all benefit from the next few days and that we will leave with a deeper understanding of this crop, which is a way of life to so many of us. We would like finally to thank you all for your presence in the name of the Organizing Committee, and to ask for your understanding of any difficulties or problems which might arise or may have arisen during the organization of this meeting. We extend our thanks also to all those who to a greater or lesser degree have assisted us in the organization of this Symposium. And now, my dear colleagues, we will leave in your hands the interest and sucess of this meeting. |
