CLOSING PLENARY SESSION AND ADDRESS

May I first of all repeat our gratitude to those who have sponsored this Symposium in Kecskemét, from 15–17 July, and the next two-day scientific excursion from 18–19 July 1985 and those who have laboured in its preparations: the Ministry of Agriculture, the ISHS and its Working Group, Hungarian Society of Agriculture Sciences, eminent sponsors, various horticulture organizations in Hungary and members of the Hungarian Organizing Committee. We wish also to express our gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality.

The presence of 180 researchers and specialists from 17 countries all over the world and their 111 reports, lectures and posters gave a comprehensive survey on apricot culture. The discussion during the last three days of the strenous and, we would say, very successful work of the Symposium, enabled us to draw far-reaching conclusions which will be of a great help in our further work.

We have heard many excellent scientific reports and seen posters on numerous apricot problems. Our present knowledge indicates that we have made a tremendous progress in apricot studies, especially in the field of breeding and selection of cultivars and rootstocks, pathology, physiology, ecology, handling and processing, system of planting, growing and agro-pomo-technics, as well as the beginning of the production of the virus-free apricot plant material.

Today, we have a wider perspective on the apricot problem, recognizing the problems as in the case of other fruit species. Of course, we still need a better knowledge about

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