FOREWORD

It is a great pleasure and honor for me to welcome all of you to Greece and to Chania, and at the same time to express my warmest thanks for your participation at the 2^nd International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops. This Symposium is organized by the National Agricultural Research Foundation with the co-operation of the Greek Society for Horticultural Science, which have all much appreciated the opportunity of working together with the International Society for Horticultural Science to host a lot of qualified scientists from many countries.

I would like to thank Prof. Alvino, chairman of the W.G. for Water Supply and Irrigation, Prof. Guilivo, chairman of the W.G. of Water Relations in Fruit Crops, Prof. Portas and Dr. Looney, chairmen of Vegetable and Fruit Sections of ISHS, and Prof. S. Sansavini, president of ISHS, for their support to our invitation for organizing this Symposium in Chania, Greece.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Water is fast becoming an economically scarce resource in many areas of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Undoubtedly the next decade will be characterized by increasing scarcity, competition and conflict among users. Growing demand for water by other users, in particular for drinking and industry, reduces the share of water for agriculture and investments in irrigation expansion. Water for agriculture is characterized as high volume and low-value and many countries are under pressure to reallocate water used for irrigation to other uses. There are also growing environmental concerns about large projects, the over-exploitation of groundwater and salinization. The decrease in the availability of water for agricultural purposes, coupled with the requirement for higher agricultural productivity in irrigated areas, means that we have no option but to improve the efficiency by which water is used for agriculture, in order to achieve more with less. Efficient irrigation is essential for sustainable agricultural development.

The primary aim of this Symposium, through the presentation of the latest knowledge on irrigation science, is to contribute to this challenge ‘Improving water efficiency in agriculture’. The scientific programme consists of the following sessions:

• Crop water requirements. The estimation of crop water requirements is necessary to evaluate irrigation management, assess agricultural management practices and compare genetic material. Development of physically based models with less empiricism should increase their transferability among locations and crop species.
• Irrigation scheduling. Recent emphasis on water conservation issues demand a renewed interest on improving on-farm water management practices. Scientific irrigation scheduling will contribute to such goal.
• Plant water relations. The improved understanding of plant water relations and the control of plant growth by drought, given by plant physiological studies, provide the essential basis for the development of optimal methods for irrigation scheduling.
• Water quality for irrigation. Due to increasing demand for fresh water, the use of marginal waters (brackish, reclaimed, etc.) for irrigation of horticultural crops is a must. The progress in the knowledge on the use of such waters for irrigation, will help in preserving the soil fertility, screening for more tolerant crops and identifying the most appropriate water management strategy.
• Environmental impact of irrigation. In the past agriculture was mainly concerned with ‘on site’ measures to enhance the production of crops. But now we have become increasingly aware of the ‘off-site’ effects of farming, such as degradation of surface and groundwater. Fertilizers, nitrates, pesticides and herbicides fate in the system is worrying, and more scientists are working on that subject.

Furthermore, this Symposium aims to bring together scientists and experts from many countries to exchange experience in their respective field, to promote technology transfer and to encourage research programs at international level on subjects covered by this Symposium.

Besides the scientific programme, a one day technical excursion is reserved in the programme in order to obtain a general idea of Cretan agriculture and irrigation situation.

I wish to thank you again for being present at this Symposium. I also thank the Scientific and Organizing Committees for the support given in the organization of the Symposium. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to the collaborating entities and companies, which have so generously made financial support, allowing us to organize this Symposium.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We do hope that the works of this Symposium will be fruitful and successful. Let me close by adding my personal wishes for success and for a pleasant stay in our country to all of our foreign participants.

K. Chartzoulakis
NAGREF, Subtropical Plants and Olive Tree Institute,
73100 Chania, Crete, Greece