FOREWORD

The attendance was larger than expected and we wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Symposium sponsor, the Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena. Without this support it would have been impossible to publish the Acta Horticulturae with the proceedings and host so many scientists.

Also to be acknowledged is the invaluable cooperation of national and local institutions and agencies, of growers cooperatives and of individual strawberry growers. Thanks to their help it was possible to show the participants the different aspects of our strawberry industry and to enjoy the visit of the artistic treasures of Ravenna. Only a limited group of participants took part the pre-Symposium tour in the South where it was possible to visit the large plastic-protected strawberry fields growing around the Greek temples of Paestum and the ruins of Pompei.

The six days of the Symposium, probably to tiring for many participants who had to follow a busy program from early morning to midnight, brought together old and new friends to discuss the problems involved with strawberry culture, rapidly evolving and demanding high investments in terms of money, skill, knowledge and labour.

During the Symposium two decisions were unanimously approved by the participants: that the name of Fragaria x ananassa, to designate the cultivated strawberry, has to be maintained and not replaced by the name Fragaria magna and that an application for the establishment of a working group on strawberry culture had to be made to the I.S.H.S.. The proposal was approved by the Society, the group will start to operate after January 1st, 1990 and I will coordinate it until the next Symposium in 1992. A consequence of all this was the decision to have every four years an International Strawberry symposium. This is the reason why I added between brakets the word first to our Symposium.

I want to acknowledge the help I received in making the Symposium successful by colleagues and friends of the Scientific Committee and by all the members of the "Strawberry group" which is supported in Emilia-Romagna by the Region through ERSO.

I have to mention Mrs. D. Gaggioli who headed the secreatriat of the Symposium and attended to that until recently when she unfortunately left the Institute for another job.

The real strength of our group comes from the many enthusiastic post- and undergraduated students who share with us the difficulties and the satisfactions of our work.

Last, but not least, I wish to thank dr. G.J. Galletta and dr. J.L. Mass for their work in the editorial board.

I apologize with all participants for the delay in publishing the proceedings. My intention was to have them published within the year of the Symposium; it was a difficult task and really impossible to be accomplished faster.

Bologna, December 1989

Pasquale ROSATI