S05. Berries Between Opportunities and Challenges
Many steps forward have been done so far in berry research and practices. The increasing demand and high expectations from consumers and industry, in an accelerated dynamic of changings context, need to be tackled in a holistic approach with contribution from all actors involved in the chain. The symposium themes are not boundering and represent an open invitation to submit abstracts with specific or interdisciplinary research for topics as breeding, genomics, variety assessment, production systems considering also organic crops, fruit quality, orchard and plant architecture, plant physiology and environment interaction, nutrition and irrigation, pest and diseases management, mechanization, economics, trade and marketing, Agri-pV etc.
Main topics
- Topic 1: Breeding, genomics and variety assessment
- Topic 2: Plant physiology and environment interaction
- Topic 3: Advanced in production systems
- Topic 4: Berry plant protection
- Topic 5: Mechanization (this might be included in topic 3)
- Topic 6: Economics in berry industry
- Miscellaneous
For abstract submission, an active ISHS membership is needed (https://www.ishs.org/members).
If you are not yet an ISHS member and want to pay the membership within the Congress fee (https://ehc.usamv.ro/congress-participant/) – (Non ISHS members, including ACTA), you can ask for a voucher to secretariat@ehc.usamv.ro. Your membership will be active and you can submit the abstracts.
For more information/details please contact secretariat@ehc.usamv.ro
Title of paper: Breeding strategies for new resilient cultivars for berry production
About 30 years of academic and research career have focused on different aspects of genetics, genetic improvement, biotechnology and cultivation systems in order to improve the sustainability and quality of fruit production, with particular attention to the possible benefits for the health of the consumer. These activities included the integration between laboratory studies for the application of new biotechnological techniques (cisgenesis and RNAi) and field studies, in different cultivation conditions, to determine the genetic and environmental factors that determine the sustainability and quality of the productions, in particular for strawberry and other berries. Particular attention was paid to the compositional analysis of new products to better determine the components of safety and nutritional benefit for the consumer. He is the author of more of 230 scientific publications (SCOPUS H-I: 50), of numerous book chapters, manuscripts, and non-indexed extension publications. Prof. Mezzetti coordinated 6 European projects (COST, FP7 and Horizon2020) and numerous national projects from public and private institutions. In 2009-2015, he was director of the Agricultural Sciences department of the Polytechnic University of Marche. Since 2015 he has been Director of the Doctoral School in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences of the Polytechnic University of Marche. He received from Web of Science-Clarivate the recognition of Highly Cited Researcher (among the 1% of the most cited researchers in the world for agricultural sciences) for three years (2019, 2020, 2021). For these merits, in 2021 President Mattarella awarded him the honor of UFFICIALE of the Italian Republic.
Adrian Asanica is, professor of horticultural plant breeding at the Faculty of Horticulture in Bucharest. His research envisages blueberry, wolfberry breeding programme, performing by now two new releases ‘Bucur’ and ‘Sara’ as new varieties of Lycium. He is experienced in vertical training systems for berries, developing single or multicordon shapes for blueberry, chokeberry, gooseberry, currants in open field and as protected culture in tunnels; is perfecting the blueberry, raspberry, blackberry production techniques in pots and varieties evaluation in pre and post-harvest stage.
Professor Ebru Yaşa Kafkas is a full professor at the Faculty of Agriculture Department of Horticulture in Çukurova University (Türkiye). Her expertise is breeding on berries mainly strawberries and blueberries and aimed to improve resilliant and highly nutritional and aromatic varieties applying classical and modern breeding methodologies. She has also experince on in vitro propagation and gene transformation methodologies on berries and has 30 years of scientific activities with joining national and international projects.
