AN OPENING ADDRESS GIVEN BY PROF. DR. J. SKIERKOWSKI DIRECTOR OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF VEGETABLE CROPS

It is a great honor and pleasure for our Institute to have such famous specialists as our guests by the occasion of the symposium concerning such an important scientific and practical problem which is protection against pests in vegetable crops. This subject is especially important to our country because our vegetable production is quite large. Polish vegetable outdoor production occupies 250 000 hectars, and our greenhouse area amounts to 2.000 hectars and plastic tunnels also to 2 000 hectars. Our vegetable production in 1986 was 5.3 mln tons.

Those figures motivate clearly enough our interest in research work on the field of vegetable pests.

We also realize that modern plant protection does not mean the increase of pesticides application. We have to think about our natural environment and about the consequences of our activity for the future. We believe that your research contacts with our specialists will be closer in future collaboration. We would like to extend such contacts very much.

I wish you pleasant and profitable time during this Symposium in our Institute.

AN OPENING ADDRESS GIVEN BY PROF. DR. J. NARKIEWICZ-JODKO CHAIRMAN OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE OF THE SYMPOSIUM

Ladies and Gentelmen,

I have great pleasure in cordially welcoming you, and to thank you for coming.
The choice of subjects for the Symposium was not accidental. Diptera belong to the economically most important pests of Vegetables in different climatic conditions of the world. Especially heavy damage occurs in the cultivation of oninon, garlic, crucifere crops, carrots, beans, cucumbers, sweet corn and mushrooms. In many cases, cultivation of the crops would be uneconomical without diptera pest control. Particularly great losses are caused by the pest in specialised regions, without the use of crop rotation.

Disscusing the newest results of experiments and exchanging ideas on this subject with outstanding specialists from different countries, will be the basic for improoving methods of control, this very important group of pests.

I am proposing to disscus during the Symposium the matter of organising a permanent section on problems of vegetable pests with the purpose of developing international cooperation and promoting knowledge of the biological basis of control of harmful insects of vegetables. I am expecting that the Symposium provide facilities for permanent contacts and cooperation between the specialists from different countries.

During the Symposium and the full day professional excursion to the main region of vegetable production, the delegates will have a good opportunity to be ecquainted with the most important problems of pest control on vegetables in Poland.

I must stress that it is a great honor for us to have such famous specialists in the field of pests on vegetable crops.

I wish all of you dear participants of the Symposium profitable disscussion and a pleasent stay in Poland.