ISHS Acta Horticulturae 442: III International Walnut Congress
WELCOME |
| Author: | J.A. Gomes Pereira |
| Abstract:
One hundred participants from Albania, Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, USA and Yugoslavia, giving sequence to the series of meetings initiated with the International Symposium on Walnut Production held in 1989 at Budapest and the International Walnut Meeting held in 1991 at Reus are here to try to attain a new step on walnut knowledge. In this III International Walnut Congress, seventy-five contributed oral papers and posters on germplasm, breeding, biotechnology, physiology, propagation, pathology, floral biology and orchard management and four invited papers on genetic improvement, genetic engineering, strategies for walnut blight control, walnut research and production perspectives, will be presented in seven sessions. We are at the old Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça, it self center to eight centuries of agricultural pioneering. In these beautiful room built in the austere gothic style of the Cistercian order, we should have, I believe, an exquisite atmosphere on par with the scientific importance of this meeting. The closing day with a technical excursion trough Alentejo we will visit some orchards in a region with conditions for the development of the production of walnuts. Other important international activities are integrated in this III IWC. The FAO Inter-Regional Cooperative Research on Nuts and the specific Walnut Sub-Network will contribute to the promotion of the research and development related to improvement of tree nut production; the ISHS Nut Crops Working Group will also meet in order to evaluate the progress on walnut science in the World. This Congress is above all a contribution of walnut experts from all the world. Thank you for coming. For the scientists who have accepted to present the invited papers on such important maters, I would express my special thanks. I feel really honored with the cooperation of so many important international organizations like ISHS, FAO, CIHEAM and EU. Their support and interest have contributed significantly to enrich this Congress. Also several Portuguese central and local government agencies and commercial enterprises have contributed to make this Congress possible. Thank you all. A special mention about the growers organisations involved in the International Walnut Congress.
This connection, not very frequent in scientific meetings, means the growers are interested in our work and should be considered the real validation of research activity.
Walnut experts should feel proud of this.
After all, science is indeed important just when it can interest the direct users, promote the economy of each country and finally contribute to a better life for mankind. | |
