PREFACE

The organising committee was chaired by Graeme McGregor of Agriculture Victoria - Knoxfield, supported by Harvey Hall of HortResearch, Riwaka and Geoff Langford of HortResearch, Canterbury, New Zealand. The committee were delighted with the attendance of delegates from fourteen different countries, most of whom travelled from the northern hemisphere to participate in a most friendly and productive symposium. Notably, Portugal was represented for the first time at a Rubus-Ribes symposium.

Delivering the opening address, Mr Tony Biggs, deputy chairman of the Horticultural Research and Development Corporation described the evolution of horticultural R&D funding in Australia, the strengths and weaknesses of the present arrangements, and the challenges faced by the horticultural research community in ensuring the continuity of a stable underpinning of basic research.. Dr Martin Barlass welcomed delegates on behalf of both the Australian Society of Horticultural Science, who helped sponsor the symposium and also on behalf of Agriculture Victoria - Knoxfield, hosts of the symposium. Dr Barlass responded to Mr Biggs' theme in describing the focus of R&D at Agriculture Victoria - Knoxfield, and the flexibility required to adequately meet the R&D needs of clients in both a timely fashion and through rigorous professionalism. Both addresses engendered lively discussion among delegates over the following days, as both speakers touched upon universal concerns among practicing horticultural scientists.

The scientific program featured fifteen sessions of presented papers spanning conventional raspberry and blackberry breeding, applications of biotechnology, off-season production, post-harvest handling, weed control, fruit and plant pathology, and dormancy and developmental physiology. Each session was chaired by a prominent scientist in the field, and followed by useful and extensive discussion periods. Over thirty posters were presented in a poster session.

Rubus and Ribes crops are of relatively minor importance in most areas of the world with the notable exceptions of the Pacific North-West of North America (raspberries) and certain regions of Central Europe. For this reason, Rubus and Ribes researchers often find themselves rather isolated, and thus the ISHS working group offers a valuable information resource. In order to maximise the benefits of coming together for a symposium, discussion times were extended during formal oral presentation sessions, and several topics were “workshopped”, so that all members of the group could learn from world-wide experience beyond the constraints associated with formal presentation.

Dr Wayne Wilcox chaired a workshop session on Phytophthora in raspberries, currently the most important pathology problem facing raspberry growers world-wide. Dr Teifion Jones chaired a very valuable workshop session on virus and phytoplasma diseases of Rubus and Ribes, and Dr Hugh Daubeny chaired a session on fruit firmness, measurement thereof, and relationship with shelf life.

Dr Ronnie McNicol reviewed progress and prospects for biotechnology in Rubus and Ribes, a discipline in which his team at SCRI are world leaders. As in other crops, the costs are high, progress is slow, and the potential is inspiring.

Many colleagues contributed to the success of this meeting; Norm Looney, as Chairman, Fruit Section of ISHS, contributed valuable advice and encouragement. In New Zealand, Errol Costello, Rebecca Frater, Marilyn Green and Jill Stanley, and in Australia, Alison Cowan and Mark Whattam all assisted in various ways, and we take this oppurtunity to express our gratitude.

The symposium could not have taken place without the generous support of the New Zealand Society for Horticultural Science, HortResearch - New Zealand, the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Australian Society for Horticultural Science, the Australian Rubus Growers Association, Agriculture Victoria - Knoxfield (Institute for Horticultural Development), Joonas International of Finland, and Sweerbriar Development Inc of California.

A short business of the ISHS working group elected Dr Ronnie McNicol, head of soft fruit breeding and genetics at Scottish Crops Research Institute as chairman. The Working Group will recommend to the ISHS executive that the United Kingdom be the location for the eighth symposium.

Graeme McGregor
Convenor, Seventh ISHS Rubus-Ribes Symposium.


PREFACE by the IHS

This volume of Acta Horticulturae is the proceeding of the Seventh International ISHS Rubus — Ribes Symposium.

Invited and keynote speakers and authors of offered oral papers and posters had the opportunity to submit their manuscripts for publication in this volume of the series Acta Horticulturae.

Submitted manuscripts were reviewed by at least two members of the Editorial Board and amended according to the referee suggestions prior to acceptance.

The Editorial Board could not accept all manuscripts submitted for publication.

The ISHS acknowledges the cooperation received from the Editors and Editorial Board on reviewing the manuscripts which was a significant contribution to the overall quality of the publication.

The ISHS Board of Directors


PASQUALE ROSATI

On July 20, 1996 Pasquale Rosati, 59, died suddenly at the apex of his successful university career, being involved in many important activities and research programmes in Italy, his homeland and abroad. In his passing the fruit research community world-wide lost an enthusiastic and extremely hard working scientist who has impacted the growing of fruit cultivars greatly, especially in Italy, with personal input into apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, kiwifruit, nectarines, olives, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries and strawberries. This interest ranged from having large, modern orchards, his role as plant importer to Italy, and full Professor of Fruit Science and Arboriculture at Ancona University, extensive work and numerous papers on different tissue culture techniques, active input into breeding blackberries, hybridberries, raspberries, pears, strawberries, research into mutation breeding, agronomy, propagation, root stocks, post harvest evaluation and storage, and a champion of fruit to all he contacted around the World.

Pasquale began his scientific career in 1965 at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Frutticoltura-MAF in Rome working mainly on studies in fruit breeding, strawberry anther culture, spur type apple culture and other biological and pomological problems important to the fruit industry. In 1975 Pasquale moved to Bologna, to work firstly at the CNR Research Centre for Fruit Culture Technique at the Istituto di Coltivazioni Arboree of the University of Bologna, and later as an Associate Professor of fruit breeding at the University. Throughout his career he was very active in encouraging cooperation between researches and exchange of plant material between programmes within Europe and in other parts of the World.

In 1976 Pasquale spent six months at the USDA Beltsville station where he helped Dr Arlen Draper oversee the strawberry, blueberry and blackberry breeding programmes until a replacement could be found for Dr D.H. Scott who retired in 1975. The contact with Dr Scott whose role as mentor was maintained until Pasquale's death. Through this contact here was much exchange of ideas, information and germplasm which considerably assisted small fruit improvement in Italy.

Numerous visiting scientists have experienced his quiet religious faith, his kindness and generosity in opening his home, providing accomodation, express transport and a lively commentary on many parts of Italy, the country, its rich history, wonderful local food, pasta, olive oil and wine vinegars. Pasquale had contact with a wide range of the research community and was quick to arrange other destinations for a visiting scientist to gain maximum benefit of a visit. In fact his friendship and contact opened many doors to the time and care of other Italian and European researchers who also were generous with their hospitality.

As a visitor Pasquale was full of energy and enthusiasm and he had a keen mind which was constantly at work assessing and evaluating the merits of the various selections of the crop at hand, be it Rubus, strawberries, pears, stonefruit or any other fruit. He was a champion of discussion and enjoyed a debate on the value of each aspect of a new variety or potential cultivar and he was quick to gain an insight into a new crop. He was also a great encourager of other researchers and was able to help direct and focus each person with whom he had contact as a colleague or as a mentor. Pasquale was also forthright in his efforts to see the exchange and distribution of germplasm which benefited researchers in many parts of the world.

Without doubt one of Pasquale's most outstanding traits was his ability to communicate and through this skill be gained the support of funding bodies, peers and students. Through Pasquale's intervention inspiring projects were initiated, directed, funded and became successful, and those who worked with him in these areas were greatly enriched by his input.

As a researcher, Pasquale worked with a wide range of fruit crops from tree fruits to berryfruits, in the process developing a particular passion with Strawberries and in 25 years of collaborative work with Dr Walter Faedi, a researcher and breeder at the ISF of Forli, he released 15 strawberry cultivars. From these ‘Addie’, ‘Cesena’, and ‘Dana’ the first three releases set new standards for strawberry cultivars because of their highly productive plants with large firm attractive fruits. ‘Addie’, ‘Cesena’ ‘Miss’ and ‘Idea’ have made a very significant impact on commercial strawberry production in Northern Italy and they have also been of interest in France and in the USA, Pasquale was also very active internationally with other Strawberry researchers and he organised the First International Strawberry Symposium in 1988 at Cesena, Italy which stimplated much interest in strawberry production. He also assisted with the arrangements for the Second International Strawberry Symposium in Maryland in 1992.

In Rubus Pasquale began research on tissue culture of the chimeral Thornless Loganberry in 1986 in his laboratory in Bologan. Three thousand six hundred and ninety eight plants were grown after culturing and tested for genetic stability by raising 50 selfed seedlings per plant. Two of the progenies segregated for thornlessness and a further four populations had a low percentage of Thornless seedlings. This was the first published paper on genetic spinelessness from the Loganberry and the paper preceded the use of this material for plant breeding by Derek Jennings in England and Harvey Hall in New Zealand. The Loganberry gene has subsequently been used extensively in breeding hybridberries with spineless progenies being grown in the UK, Italy, New Zealand and North America.

Pasquale first attended a Rubus and Ribes Symposium in 1989, in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Washington State and Oregon where he made an impact on many present. This contact led to an interest in primocane fruiting Rubus, including blackberries and hybridberries, and the formulation of the initial draft of the EC Rubus proposal with Vicky Knight in April 1991. The full proposal was written in January 1992 and Pasquale became a leading figure in the EU supported programme “Expanding the adaptation and production area of Rubus” which had collaborators from seven research locations throughout Europe. The programme was comprehensive, utilising the resources and skills of the various parties with outstanding germplasm, plant breeding, molecular biology and tissue culture on sites from the North to the South of Europe.

Concurrent with his active research and teaching career, he successfully managed two large family fruit farms. A devoted family man, he is survived by his wife, Marilena, and three children, Carlo, Giovanna and Cecilia. Pasquale Rosati was one of Italy's leading fruit scientists and an active participant in fruit research world-wide and is greatly missed by all who knew him.

Harvey K Hall