FOREWORD

FOREWORD

With the theme of "Answering Global Demands: High Quality Fruits from Field to Table" the Third International Symposium on Persimmon was held from October 5-7, 2004, in Jinju, Korea. The Symposium was followed by a 2-day tour. The Local Organizing Committee decided to have the Symposium at one of the major production areas of sweet persimmon in Korea. The timing was perfect: the fruits were almost ready to be harvested few weeks later. A total of 102 participants from 10 countries attended the Symposium. Participation of the members of Korean Society for Persimmon Science and Industry was overwhelming.

The Symposium was organised in six sessions. The first session was an introduction of persimmon around the world in relation to science and industry. Papers and posters were presented in separate sessions for genetics and breeding, cultural practices, compounds of special interest in persimmon, and post-harvest technology. The last session was for Prof. A. Sugiura who served as the Chairperson of Persimmon Working Group for many years. In his closing lecture, he summarized the research they had achieved at Kyoto University for the last 36 years. He also gave the participants some insights into the important areas of research in the years to come.

Research findings presented at the genetics and breeding session of the Symposium received most attention. Two invited speakers, Dr. M. Yamada of Japan and Dr. E. Bellini of Italy, summarized the genetic resources of persimmon in the East and West and their effort and achievement of breeding. Highlighted was the introduction of several pollination constant non-astringent (PCNA) persimmons in China. This introduction may have significant impact to increase the potential for the development of new PCNA cultivars, since narrow genetic variability of this type of persimmon has so far been a major obstacle to breeding efforts to improve PCNA persimmon. Introduction to native cultivars and strains in Korea as well as the technological advances involved in ploidy manipulation of recalcitrant persimmon received much attention.

All participants had a chance to visit a 4.5-hectare persimmon orchard owned by Mr. Jae-Hee Seong to get a glimpse of persimmon fruits produced in Korea. His painstaking efforts to produce top of the top-quality fruits in an environment-friendly way amazed all the participants. Field discussions at Sweet Persimmon Research Institute continued until darkness fell when the trees were hardly visible.

At the business meeting, all the participants agreed to have the fourth Symposium in Italy in 2008. Also approved was to recommend Prof. Bellini of Italy to be the next Chairperson of the ISHS Working Group on Persimmon. The Symposium served the participants well not only to discuss the latest findings in persimmon science, but to welcome young scientists to this field and to renew the friendship of the old acquaintances.