ISHS Acta Horticulturae 192: VIII International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline
PREFACE |
| Authors: | Z. Klement, G. Soos, F. Nyujto, P. S. A. Paunovic | ||||||
| Abstract:
The VIII. International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline was held from 15–21 July in the centre of the Hungarian Apricot-growing area in the town of Kecskemét and organized by the Hungarian Society of Agricultural Sciences in co-operation with the International Society for Horticultural Science (I.S.H.S.) Fruit Section, Working Group on Apricot Culture. More than 180 participants from 20 apricot producing countries were present at the Symposium giving 110 presentations (54 lectures and 56 posters). One innovation compared with the former Symposium was the use of posters. This allowed a large number of participants to explain and discuss their research work more intensively. During and after the Symposium the Organizing Committee, in co-operation with many State and Co-operative Farms arranged visits to apricot orchards enabling discussions at depth on the most important and timely issues of research and development in Hungary. This volume contains original papers of most lectures and posters given at the Symposium in the form presented by the authors. Where necessary corrections in English were made by the copy editor of the publishing house. The papers are divided into 5 parts as follows:
On behalf of the Organizing Committee we hope to have created conditions which allowed the Symposium to make a significant Contribution to the progress of Apricot Culture and Decline.
We sincerely hope that you will remember the Symposium at Kecskemét through the carillon bells which greeted and farewelled you. On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Minister, Jenó Váncsa, and myself I should like to welcome all participants of the VIIIth International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline. We are honoured to greet Professor Stanisa Paunovic, the President of the Symposium, the Deputy President Professor Guy Morvan, and Dr. Heiko van der Borg, Secretary General of the International Society for Horticultural Science. We should like to welcome Prof. Szczepan Pieniazek the well known authority of fruit cultivation, the past president of the International Horticultural Science Society, as well as Professor Vasile Cociu Head of Department of Research Institute of Romanian Fruit Cultivation. Furthermore I should like to welcome all participants from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, German Democratic Republic, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jugoslavia, The Netherlands New Zealand, Romania, Spain, USA and USSR. It is a great pleasure to host the VIIIth International Symposium on Apricot Cultivation and Decline, and we feel that it is a sign of recognition of the Hungarian horticulturalists and agriculturalists. Before elaboration on Hungarian apricot cultivation, allow me to say a few words about Hungarian agriculture and within this about horticultural production stressing the role of fruit production. In Hungary as a consequence of its natural endowment more than 70% of its area is used for agricultural production. The cultivation of cereals and maize accounts for 60% of field cultivation. Our sugarbeet and sunflower production is also significant. Horticultural production obviously has a minor role in our agriculture in field cultivation but its significance is evident in that horticulture on 9% of cultivated agricultural area produces 36–37% of the total production of plant cultivation. With respect to produced value and area horticultural production comprises almost identical ratios in fruit, grape and vegetable production. The task of all three branches is the supply of fresh and processed horticultural products for the population but a major role is taken by food industry export. Looking at fruit production more closely we can see that with respect to fruit production per capita - which is 165–168 kg/capita - Hungary is in the vanguard of European countries. Our most important fruit species is the apple which out of an annual total fruit production of 1 million 600 thousands accounts for 1 million 100 thousand tons. Apple production is one of the most important income sources for the population of north-Hungary as well as the Danube-Tisza Interfluve, and the basis of fruit supply of the population in winter. Apple accounts for almost 90% of our fresh fruit export and is an indispensable raw material in the fruit processing industry. Besides, the apple, plum, pear, peach, apricot, cherry and sour cherry make significant contributions and to a lesser extent, currants, raspberry, strawberry, loganberry, walnut and other fruit species are also produced. Although our skilled workers are well trained, technological development is considerable and although fruit production in Hungary relies on old traditions the branch is not lacking in problems. A basic reason for this is that the yield averages for orchards planted earlier can hardly compensate for the rising expenditure or not at all. The feasibility of production is declining. In the case of certain fruit species it is working at a loss. We will have to devote much greater attention to solving the problems of the branch, than before. However I have to stress that considering the labour force and the situation of the external market and the trend of prices we have not an easy task ahead of us. Turning to apricot cultivation I should like to mention that it rests on old traditions and has become native to several regions. Due to the deviationg climatic conditions of the regions ripening time differences of 8–10 days occur. In the average of the past ten years Hungary has contributed to world apricot production by 8%. On the basis of produced quantities Hungary is in the fifth position and with respect to the amount per capita we occupy second position. Hungary's apricot export is significant also. From the point of view of demand we could expand but the quantities at our disposal are limited too. One of the main reasons for this is that the apricot often is damaged by the winter and late spring frosts which make its production and management results uncertain. The area of apricot orchards compared to the annual 14 thousand ha in 1970, dropped to 5 thousand ha by 1984, of which 4100 ha is producing and 900 ha is still young and not bearing yet. Apricot yields in Hungary have dropped also.
In the last four years this dropped further to 43.400 tons. The frost sensitivity of apricot in spring the spasmodical record producing and non-producing years as well as the decimation of the stock or as a consequence of apoplexy reduction of the life span make the apricot less economical than other fruit species. The prices cannot compensate for the necessary expenditure even in years with large yields, and the branches do not make a profit while in the average of several years most agricultural large-scale farms are operating at a loss. At the same time it is worth noting that almost 10% of apricot prodduction of the coountry takes place in small farms, household plots, that is where the Hungarian apricot production has become world renowned. To determine the aims and tasks of developing apricot production we have to study the reasons for bad crops in the past years. We have to be aware of the fact that on account of the risk involved in apricot production a large number of plantations established in the past did not meet the requirements which are indispensable for economic and stable production so in future developments these have to be taken into consideration. The new plantations have to be established in the most favourable sites which have to be in ecologically optimal areas ensuring the biggest production and avoiding frost. It is of vital importance to breed and introduce such species which are more frost tolerant, having disease resistance with greater and economical production. In the future greater attention should be developed to small household gardens and small-scale production because in these gardens which are in inner regions of villages the apricot trees could tolerate the critical frost periods. Moreover, the manual picking of the fruit from these gardens make it more suitable for local consumption and export marketing. Because no doubt, these problems are not unique to Hungary, it is desirable for all participants to collaborate in solving them. It is hoped that this scientific meeting will be useful in this respect as well. I hope that the following week will provides advances in this field through personal contact and that your stay in Hungary will be a lasting pleasent memory for all of you. I declare this VIII. International Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline open, and I wish you all good work and a worthwhile stay here. On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the VIIIth International Apricot Cultivation Symposium I should like to welcome all foreign and Hungarian participants at our three-day scientific meeting followed by a two-day study tour. We would like to thank the International Scientific Society of Horticultural Science -- and in person, the Secretary Dr. Van den Borg for sponsoring the necessary technical assistance. We are most grateful to the Party and Council of Bács-Kiskun county for complying with the wishes of the Horticultural Society of the Hungarian Agricultural Science Association and hosting this Symposium at Kecskemét. I have to mention that the period prior to the Symposium was most unfavourable, for we had the coldest winter since 1963/64 on observing the winter bud damage we can expect a very poor yield. There was similarly cold, windy weather at the time of flowering. All this was cause for grave concern because we thought there would be nothing to see for our foreign guests. Inspite of these unfavourable prior events we can say that we are expecting a good average yield crop. There will be plenty to see except that on account of the drawn-out ripening -- because of the much cooler June than average -- we can only show you the early ripening varieties. The great number of foreign participants in this Symposium is already a good indication of the keen interest in this field. We hope your time here will be profitable and pleasant for you. Today, we hold the VIIIth International Symposia in Kecksmét. I have a great pleasure and a special honour to greet you on behalf of the International Group on Apricot Culture and Apricot Decline, and of Fruit Section of our International Society for Horticultural Science, to express our and my own great appreciation and gratitude to the Hungarian organizers of this VIIIth International Symposium. Those who have sponsored this Convention and those who have laboured in its preparations: the Ministry of Agriculture, the ISHS and its Secretariat and Working Group, Hungarian Society for Agricultural Science, various horticultural organizations in Hungary and members of the Hungarian Organizing Committee, with special thanks to Dr Ferenc Nyujto, President of the Hungarian Organizing Committee, Prof. Zoltán Klement, the Organizer of Scienticic Programme and to Dr Rezso Mady, Secretary of the Hungarian Organizing Committee as well as to the Secretaries of each Session and the local arrangements. After this opening session a three-day periodof the intensive intellectual activity will begin for us followed by a two-day excursion to establish new, or to renew old friendship. This is the most important for all of us. Since, we will need for our further mutual work friendship, understanding and co-operation. We have assembled at this Symposium so that the efver-increasing flow of nwew knowledge from all parts of the world may exchanged for the betterment of all. So far we have done a lot within apricot problems. However, we still need to undertake more intensive work, which I can be promoted by furthering our interdisciplinary research collaboration and disciplinary co-operations. I should like to offer my best wishes for this Symposium and great success to the participants as well as the organizers and to contribute to the development of the International Working Group on Apricot Culture and Apricot Decline, namely our International Society for Horticultural Science. On behalf of the International Working Group, Fruit Section, ISHS allow me to open this Symposium. | |||||||
