FOREWORD

We would like to thank you for responding to our invitation to meet in Adana, and for your scientific support through your presentations. We thank Prof. Sansavini, President of the International Society for Horticultural Science, and to Dr. J. Van Assche, Executive Director of ISHS for sponsoring the necessary technical assistance, to Mr.E.Arias, Head of Plant Production Division of FAO for financially supporting the symposium.

Similarly, we would like to especially recognize Prof. F.G. Dennis and Dr. A.P. George for supporting us morally from the beginning of the organization, and the Scientific Committee (F.G. Dennis, A. Erez, F. Ergenoglu, A.P. George, R. Gülcan, N. Kaska, A. Küden, A.B. Küden, A. Shaltout, and Ö. Tuzcu) for their great effort evaluating the papers. We would also like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture, the Rector of the University of Çukurova, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, the Head of the Department of Horticulture and many other organizations such as TÜBITAK (the Scientific and Research Council of Turkey) and the Turkish Society for Horticultural Science, for their support, both monetary and moral, in holding this meeting.

Çukurova region, where Adana is located, has a subtropical climate, and the amount of chilling changes from year to year. Citrus is the major fruit crop of the whole Mediterranean coastal line, and temperate zone fruit growing has been traditionally performed with several wild or local varieties of plum (Prunus cerasifera L.), apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), almond (Amygdalus communis L.) and grape (Vitis vinifera L.) as minor crops.

High chilling varieties of peach were introduced to the region by growers in the 1970s. The growers were disapointed with the very small amount of fruit set following warm winters. The first adaptation work has begun in 1982 with mostly low chilling varieties and this work continues today. The Santa Maria pear was introduced to the region in 1982. This work still continues with new low chill pear varieties. The introduction of apples began in 1985 with Anna, Ein Shemer and Dorset Golden as well as selected clones of quince.

In the 1980s, strawberry, kiwifruit, persimmon and pecan were introduced to the region. Strawberry has become a major fruit on the west Mediterranean coast through the efforts of the University of Çukurova.

Since chilling duration varies from year to year, low chilling varieties must be used in the region and chemical treatments are needed. New apricot and plum varieties are being introduced and breeding work is continuing on peach, apricot, almond and strawberry.

Turkey is the origin of many fruit species, hence germplasm exists for several breeding programs for different aims, such as obtaining low chilling or disease resistant varieties Also, exchange of plant material exchange is very important for all the countries included in this Working Group.

We hope that this fifth international symposium of the Working Group will address problems of the related countries, and we hope that a good network for collaboration can be established and a better relationship developed between all the countries represented.

Finally, we wish success for this meeting and hope a great scientific achievement with your contributions. We would like to add that we are very much pleased to host you all in Adana, and at our University.

Prof. Ayzin B. Küden
Chairman of the Working Group
Convener

Assoc. Prof. Ali Küden
Chairman of the Organizing Committee
Convener


OPENING ADDRESS

Turkey and especially Adana, are an ideal setting to host this the 5th ISHS Symposium on “Temperate Fruit Crops for Tropical and Subtropical Areas”. Turkey occupies a strategic position as the interface at which converge the growing areas for the temperate and evergreen species of Southern Europe, for the traditional ones of Southern and Western Asia and for the emerging ones of subtropical-tropical fruits, which are attracting more and more fresh-market consumers and processing industries in the continental areas where they are not grown.

Turkey can boast noble and vaunted traditions in horticulture and brings to mind historical events stretching back millennia that include some of the first works of literature and, perhaps, the oldest references for such fruit crops as the fig, grapevine, pomegranate, olive and palm, which are still cultivated today along its coast or even such crops as raisins, apricot, hazel and other nuts in which Turkey is the European leader.

Its universities are not only the repository of the lore and humus of the past but today are the builders of present and future research, innovation in a horticulture that is not just Turkish. For without horticulture there can be no well-being of our populations and a widespread quality of life, especially in the countries most favourably endowed with a fine climate and environment.

At a time when Europe is suffering from surpluses of its main agricultural commodities, profound changes are taking place in the dietary habits of its populations. Increases in the consumption of natural, organic foods that like fruits are healtful, rich in fibres, organic acides and sugars, vitamins and such beneficial compounds as flavonoids, pigments and anti-oxidants yet low in fat are a prime example. While the consumer market in horticultural produce is somewhat stagnant today in Europe, it does not take much imagination to realise that the demand for them will grow and that consumers will be making ever greater demands as to aesthetic and taste qualities, to the diversification of produce types and marketing (whence the new accessions from breeding programs) and related services such as packaging for longer shelf-life, home delivery and so forth. We thus know where we must act-not to create new demands but to meet the demands already coming from the market.

The growing of temperate species in the mild winter clime of the Mediterranean is a step in response to at least the first two of these requisites. For it extends the growing and ripening season beyond the usual calendar dates, new crops are introduced that can become geographically typical of the new area, populations are introduced to new produce that extends the range of their normal market offerings, the road to diversification of marketing and species types is opened up, and international trade in produce is expanded. It also promotes research in new areas and new approaches what can generate unforeseen outcomes and cluster-like positive results. It will then be up to the economy with its cost-benefit analysis to decide whether, apart from technical feasibility, these crops are also economically viable. It is quite a coincidence that while the interest in temperate species is growing in the tropical and subtropical areas, the interest in tropical and subtropical areas, the interest in tropical and subtropical species is doing likewise in the temperate ones. Yet, while business interests are at times the food of dreams, we as scientists have to keep our feet on the ground and encourage research.

This is why the ISHS is favourably disposed to developing promotional activities and meetings like this one that encourage studies and promote interest in and draw attention to these issues within a group of researchers and throughout a series of countries for whom and which temperate horticulture is a dynamic reality offering new horizons.

Turkey is one of the Mediterranean's major pillars of horticulture and as shown its skill in organising important meetings of the Fruit Section like the apricot and pistachio symposia.

It is only to be excepted then that this Symposium too, which Professors Ayzin B.Küden and Ali Küden have so expertly organised, will offer everyone an outstanding occasion to compare notes over the next few days in the most hospitable city of Adana and to become familiar with several significant fruit-growing realities during the professional tour to Cappadocia, the Pigeon and Goreme Valleys and the other very attractive sites of both scientific and tourist note.

Let me urge the Organising and, especially, the Scientific Committee to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities and take special care in checking the scientific level of the papers and the printing of the proceedings, which will appear as a special issue of Acta Horticulturae. Vigilance, assistance and rigour are required so that the papers meet the international quality standards of the ISHS.

Let me also note that the sphere of this Symposium covers both the Fruit Section and particularly, the Commission for Tropical and Subtropical Horticultural Crops. The former boasts 20 Working Groups and in this connection it is worth recalling the thematic 1987 Apple Workshop at Florianopolis in Brazil, the 1988 Workshop at Chiang Mai in Thailand and the 1993 Symposium at Cario in Egypt.

This would be a good time extend the official ISHS Working Group on TZFTS from the TSTH Commission to the Fruit Section with the aim to promote contacts among all those who are interested, and not just for the Symposium participants, in variously developing, expressing, planning and realising the potentials of joint efforts in this field of endeavour.

It is therefore with great pleasure that I open this important Symposium and extend my heartfelt thanks to all the organisers and to the many collaboraters who have worked so hard and wish you all every success and a most pleasant stay in Turkey and at Adana.


Adana, May 29, 1996