INTRODUCTION ON FRUITS IN MARGINAL ENVIRONMENTS

For example, in Australia some 7 000 ha of pineapples and 6 000 ha of bananas are grown south of latitude 30°S. This is made possible by selecting coastal foothills where air drainage and the marine influence on temperature, reduce the risk of frost.

In Israel avocadoes, mangoes and bananas are grown under even colder conditions, and under additional stresses of very low rainfall, saline water and highly calcarcous soils.

Even when fruits are grown in their appropriate latitudes, conditions will not necessarily be ideal for them. They may still have to contend with some severe natural stresses such as hurricanes, excessive rain, or some major pest or disease.

Some of these problems may even threaten the persistance of an industry in a region. They then constitue a challenge that the combined experience from the many countries represented at the XXth International Horticultural Congress may help to overcome.

On the other hand, in some countries special developments may have established an industry in what would be considered most unfavourable conditions. This may have resulted from the experience, the trial and error of perceptive growers over the years, or it may have come from derected research. It may consist in cropping control, in soil management, in a fortunte varietal selection or in one of the many other facets of horticulture. Whatever its origin, it may present a chance, an opprotunity for a similar or analogous development in some other country.

This symposium on growing tropical and subtropical fruits in marginal environments is designed to focus the combined experience of many countries on the challenges which are presented by the problems which occur from place to place. It is also designed to illustrate, in the successes which have been achieved in some countries, the chances which exist for similar successes in others.

H.M. Groszmann
Queensland Department of
Primary Industries,
Brisbane, Queensland,
Australia