EXTRACT OF THE CONVENER'S SPEACH

A congress should help those engaged in a field of research to look ahead. What strong tendencies are emerging? What direction is the research taking? What direction should be followed? This should help the scientist to perceive his position in the context of progress made, among his colleagues, and to identify his strong and weak points.

A congress should help to widen the vision. We are becoming more and more specialized, but a good specialist should adquire a general knowledge of the species he is working on if he wants to avoids serious mistakes. A good peach geneticist, for example, must not be unaware of how the peach is cultivated.

Finally, as it is often said, a congress is an opportunity to create and maintain work relationships but also friendship with other colleagues. This community of scientists helps us also, to realize that science is universal.

I do hope that each of you will be able to leave with some of these benefits. If so, this congress will have been a success.

R. MONET