ISHS Acta Horticulturae 280: I International Symposium on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding
FOREWORD |
| Author: | S. Sansavini |
| Abstract:
In-vitro culture has fast become one of the most widely employed techniques in the modern nursery and horticultural industries. There is no country, institute, or laboratory working in the field of basic (biology, genetics, physiology, pathology) or applied research (breeding, propagation, disease-free plant production) that does not make ample use of this technology. This general scientific interest has been matched by the introduction of in-vitro techniques into a wide spectrum of applications-micropropagation, embryo culture, disease resistance bioassays, and crop improvement--many of which have had a high economic impact. In certain fields it would not be improper to speak of a genuine revolution, especially in regard to the mass propagation of ornamentals and of rootstocks, in seed production, and in the creation of new improved plants. Many of these applications have exceeded even the most optimistic predictions about the use of in vitro culture. The international scientific community has responded by establishing pertinent working groups and even new societies: the Tissue Culture Working Group of ASHS, the International Association for Plant Tissue Culture, and the Tissue Culture Association. The circulation of journals devoted to cell and tissue culture (e.g. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, Plant Cell Report, the IAPTC Newsletter, and In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology) has increased dramatically. Dozens of conferences and symposia at all levels have been and continue to be held. The boom has been such that it is becoming almost impossible to keep up with the flood of literature. The time has come to take stock and examine the goals and research strategies of in vitro culture and micropropagation in relation to crop improvement. This objective is behind our decision to limit the scope of the papers at this symposium to breeding and its techniques. This symposium is also significant as it marks the official establishment of the new Working Group for "In Vitro Culture" of the ISHS Fruit Section. The enthusiastic participation of researchers and scholars from over twenty countries who have generated more than a hundred papers for this symposium, testifies to the vigor of this new technology. We should like to extend our thanks to all speakers and participants, and hope that they will retain vivid and fond memory of Romagna, its land and its people, as well as the warm hospitality provided by the citizens of Cesena.
Let us also express our sincere gratitude to the University of Bologna for having included the Symposium among the most significant events of its 9th Centenary celebrations, to the Italian Society for Horticulture, to the public and private agencies for their patronage and support of the Symposium, to the Scientific Committee for its work in defining the topics of the sessions and screening prospective speakers, and to the personnel of the Istituto di Coltivazioni Arboree of the University of Bologna for their hard work and dedication over many months and under the inevitable pressure of deadlines associated with organizing and ensuring the success of this Symposium.
Finally, appreciation is expressed to Jules Janick, Purdue University, and Richard H. Zimmerman, U.S. Department of Agriculture, members of the editorial board who jointly screened and edited all manuscripts included in this volume. | |
