ISHS Acta Horticulturae 616: I International Symposium on Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants
FOREWORD, WELCOME ADDRESS, PREFACE |
| Authors: | A.S. Econoumou, The ISHS Board of Directors |
| Abstract:
FOREWORD The first International Symposium on Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants was held in Sani-Halkidiki, Greece, on September 19-22, 2001. It was the first meeting on this important topic, which falls under the ISHS Working Group of Micropropagation. The Symposium was organized by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Horticulture), the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Institute of Agrobiotechnology) and the Hellenic Society for Horticultural Science and was under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). The scientific programme consisted of eight oral and two poster sessions. Eight keynote lectures by invited speakers covered the themes of the meeting sessions. The various papers presented were focused on different topics such as: environmental control, in vitro manipulation, rooting and substrate, field performance, regeneration and micropropagation, physiological and biochemical aspects as well as genetic stability. The Symposium provided the chance for sharing the latest achievements and the stimulus for a very interesting and creative discussion . A total of 111 papers (oral and posters) were presented; many of these contributions brought new knowledge and/or extended and improved on the previous state of knowledge. All the submitted manuscripts were reviewed by members of the Editorial Board and independent peers and revised according to suggestions by the referees and editors prior to acceptance. After the peer review, 80 papers were accepted for publication. While we have made every effort to reach uniformity in style, the presented results and the final shape of the manuscript remained the sole responsibility of the presenting authors. I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the Editorial Board and the anonymous referees who have offered their time, effort and expertise for the improvement of the quality of the papers. I extend my thanks to Thomas Syros for his help on manuscript formatting and to the sponsors of the Symposium for their financial contribution. Athanasios S. Economou Editor WELCOME ADDRESS Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Participants and Friends It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you at the 1st International Symposium on “Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants”. I feel highly honored and very pleased to greet every one of you. Many thanks for responding to our invitation and being with us today and all this week, in the attractive area of Halkidiki, across the Olympus Mountain well known from the Greek mythology. Here, in the heart of the land of Macedonia, birthplace of Alexander the Great and his mentor and tutor philosopher Aristotle. The Symposium is under the auspices of the ISHS. It is organized by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Horticulture), the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (Institute of Agrobiotechnology) and the Hellenic Society for Horticultural Science . Three years ago, during the 25th International Horticultural Congress held in Brussels, a Symposium was proposed, by Dr. Paul Read and me, to the Commission of Biotechnology and the Section of Ornamentals in their business meetings. Both chairs accepted the proposal and few months later in October 1998 the ISHS Council approved the Symposium, which falls under the Working Group of Micropropagation. More than 40 years have elapsed since George Morel proposed the application of plant tissue culture for the clonal propagation of virus-free orchids. Since that time, in vitro propagation or micropropagation as it commonly known has evolved into a worldwide competitive industry that produces hundreds of millions plants annually. Undoubtedly, in vitro propagation has proven to be a commercially viable method for plant production and an important tool in the application of plant biotechnology in Agriculture. Gene transfer, for example, will be of little value if we cannot reproduce plant parts after transformation leading to the production of whole plants. Practically, micropropagation translates the breakthroughs of the laboratory into products for the grower and with this economic impact it offers immense scope for further exploitation. Hundreds of commercial laboratories are currently involved in micropropagation all over the world. Numerous scientific advancements are continually being made in all areas from the very applied to the most complicated ones, since plant tissue culture is a field with many facets. The objectives of our Symposium are concentrated mainly on the stage IV of micropropagation. Removal of the aseptic plantlets from the test tube environment followed by planting in relatively harsh environment requires thorough manipulation and research. Formation of fully-functional root system while ensuring the shoot system against desiccation, during the transition from in vitro to ex vitro environment, is a very critical procedure that needs delicate handling. The various techniques applied in this stage of acclimatization have the potential for further improvements in order to increase the efficiency of micropropagating. No doubt, there are numerous scientific developments concerning this area of research and we are looking forward to watching new achievements and advances, in research and in practice, during this Symposium. One hundred twenty nine papers will be presented in the Symposium. Nine of them are key-note lectures. Thirty five are oral and eighty five are poster presentations. They examine a wide range of interesting research topics, potential applications and future directions in research and technology. The various contributions are grouped under eight main themes: a) physiological and biochemical aspects, genetic stability and variability; b) regeneration (through organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis); c) rooting and substrate; d) in vitro manipulation; e) environmental control; f) scale-up and automation; g) microplant quality and microbial problems; h) micropropagation protocols etc. The scientific programme comprises one session for the plenary lectures, seven sessions for oral presentations and two sessions for poster contributions. In the book of Abstracts, delivered to you during registration, we have made some slight changes in the general appearance of the submitted abstracts for uniformity reasons. However, the presented results, the language and the shape of the abstract remained the sole responsibility of the authors. So far, in our Symposium 116 fellows from the academia, research institutes and industry have been registered. Unfortunately, some have cancelled their participation for various reasons. Besides those who will attend the scientific programme, other 19 accompanying persons have been registered. All these participants are coming from 36 different countries spread to all five continents. This distinguished gathering of experts from all over the world gives the opportunity to strengthen the personal relations and increase the international cooperation as well. Renewing old acquaintances and making new contacts is a very important function of such meetings establishing better human relationship among scientists. Next to the lectures and posters of the scientific programme, the social programme includes a guided visit to the City of Thessaloniki and its sights as well as an excursion to Vergina, one of the most famous ancient Macedonia sites, where the tomp of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, came to light in 1977. The excursion to Vergina is complemented by a visit to the Boutaris wineries for lunch and wine tasting. Also, two optional tours have been scheduled: a) a visit to Petralona Cave and b) a cruise to Mt Athos with its impressive Byzantine Monasteries. For the social events and relaxation in the beach or in the surroundings in your spare time, we have ordered for you a good and sunny weather. On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to thank all of you for your contribution and particularly those who had to travel far to join this meeting. Special thanks are due to the invited speakers and the members of the Scientific Committee. I extend my gratitude to the members of the Organizing Committee, who tirelessly have provided a stimulating contribution in the preparation of this Symposium, as well as to those (technicians and graduate students) who have worked behind the scenes. Sincere thanks are due to the staff of “Syntonos Congress” for the secretariat coverage. Before I conclude, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the various Institutions and private firms for their financial contribution to the Symposium. Ladies and Gentlemen, again I welcome you to the 1st International Symposium on “Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants”. I wish you a useful and fruitful meeting with results aiming at the service of humanity. Also, I wish you a very pleasant stay in Greece. Thank you. Athanasios S. Economou Convener PREFACE The papers contained in this volume of Acta Horticulturae report the proceedings of The first International Symposium on Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants. Keynote speakers and authors of selected contributed oral and poster presentations were given the opportunity to submit a manuscript for publication. These manuscripts were reviewed by the symposium editors and members of the Editorial Committee. Only those papers judged suitable for publication following the authors consideration of reviewer suggestions appear in this volume of Acta Horticulturae. The ISHS acknowledges and appreciates the contribution of all editors and reviewers. They have made a significant contribution to improving the quality of this publication. The ISHS Board of Directors | |
