OPENING ADDRESS

The idea of choosing Czechoslovakia to be the host country for the meeting issued from the intention of leading EUCARPIA staff to arrange a common meeting of fruit breeders from both East and West Europe. We believe that this intention will be successful. Czechoslovakia and the other socialist countries, for the most part, have as yet developed only mutual collaboration in the field of fruit crop breeding; the contacts with western countries being relatively rare.

However, the current situation of fruit breeding requires more intensive international collaboration, involving all countries throughout the world irrespective of their social systems. This requirement should be considered not only as a desire of ours but as an objective necessity. Of particular concern are the integrated efforts to save the disappearing genefunds of fruit crops. Economic and professional aspects do not permit this programme to be fulfilled in one isolated country or in a small group of them. On the contrary, the programme can only succeed under conditions involving the joining of forces and means of all countries. In this connection I would like to express my appreciation for the notable contribution made by FAO through IBPGR to the development of global international cooperation. This programme is going to be discussed here in greater detail.

Among different branches of plant breeding, fruit breeding proves to be the most demanding. Owing to the long-term nature of the breeding cycles and many other specificities, fruit breeding appears to be a very expensive and long-lasting activity. Consequently, more emphasis should be placed on opportunities for exchanging experiences, partial results and breeding material, as well as to join together all cooperative efforts aimed at attaining more significant progress than that which has been reached so for.

May we all express our wish that the Symposium of the EUCARPIA Fruit and Nut Breeding Section, being held at Hradec Králové, might be a further step to raising the level of fruit breeding work. In conclusion, allow me to wish you successful working activity in all the sessions, an agreeable stay in this country for all guests from abroad-and much success for all those involved in fruit and nut crop breeding.