PREFACE

FOREWORD

     The utilization of organic matter for growing crops and improving soil physical and chemical properties, and by tern, improving soil productivity has been practiced allover the world for centuries. The recent vision to the organic matter utilization exceeded the traditional objectives where organic matter utilization became an integral part of the world wide efforts to world energy crisis and the continuing increase in cost of mineral fertilizers and the increasing concern about environmental aspects.
     Substrate culture is the cultivation of crops in a solid, inert, or non-inert medium instead of soil. Substrate culture has many advantages over soil agricultural cultivations, such as difficulties and cost of controlling soilborn diseases. Now substrate culture became one of the most effective alternatives for using Methyl bromide for soil sterilization. This new technique allows growers to quickly change production pattern to take advantage of market conditions. Substrate culture allows maximum utilization of available land and other natural resources particularly where poor soil conditions, such as soil salinity, lack of fertile soil and water shortage, prevail.
      This symposium is a very special event where scientists interested in organic matter and substrate culture were gathered together to mutually withdraws from each other for the benefit of the horticulture industry.
      Sincere thanks are due to all participants who made all their faithful efforts to make the symposium a fruitful and successful one.

Ayman Abou-Hadid
Organizing Committee Chairman

PREFACE

     This volume of Acta Horticulturae is the Proceedings of the International Symposium on the Horizons of Using Organic Matter and Substrates in Horticulture. Invited and keynote speakers and selected 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 the Editor and the Editorial Board and amended according to the referee suggestions prior to acceptance.
      The ISHS acknowledges the cooperation received from the Editor and the Editorial Board on reviewing the manuscripts which was a significant contribution to the overall quality of the publication.

The ISHS Board of Directors

In Memoriam

     It is with sincere sorrow that the Editors and Scientific Committee of Acta Horticulturae report the passing away of Mr. Amin Omer Mohyel-Din on March 30, 2003. The late Mr. Amin Omer had been a tireless contributor to the field of organic agriculture for the past fifteen years. One of his great contributions was organizing the “International Symposium on the Horizons of Using Organic Matter and Substrates in Horticulture”, held in April 2002.
      During his career, he was one of the back-bones of the Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate (CLAC) that was established in October 1996. This has paved the road for younger scientists to follow. He performed outstanding capabilities in managing and coordinating various projects in the fields of “protected cultivation” with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and USAID; “training of the young graduates” with the French Office; and “organic farming” with the European Commission.
      His passing away is a great loss to the scientific community in Egypt and all over the world.

Prof. A.F. Abou-Hadid, Convener