International Strawberry Symposium 2020: the programme for the IX edition is published

Over 300 scientific presentations (148 oral papers and 172 posters), a thousand or so industry professionals expected from all over the world and a major novelty during the central day of Macfrut 2020, when the topic of nursery certification will be discussed for the first time. All this and much more awaits sector players and enthusiasts at ISS 2020 (the International Strawberry Symposium), to be held in Rimini from 2 to 6 May this year. The Symposium’s proceedings will be opened, at 18:30 hrs on Saturday 2 May, by the three academics who have worked together to draw up the programme: Bruno Mezzetti – Full Professor in Arboriculture at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche; Gianluca Baruzzi – CREA research scientist; and Maurizio Battino – Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Specialized Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche - with a presentation entitled “The Strawberry, from Past to Future”. This will be followed by a tribute to geneticist Chad Finn by Professors Aaron Liston and Antonio Fernandez-Salvador. The Symposium will really get into its swing on Sunday 3 May, with two plenary sessions, followed by papers subdivided into three main themes: genetic resources, cultivation systems and world output. Proceedings will continue on 4 and 5 May: topics will range from strawberry genetics and physiology to crop protection, to post-harvesting, the strawberry’s properties and its positive effects on human health, and consumers’ perceptions, through to the concluding speeches, scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday 5 May. “Four years after the previous Symposium,” Professor Mezzetti comments, “now is the right to time to hold a new international meeting about the strawberry. In fact, the figures tell us that the market’s interest in berries in general, and strawberries in particular, is growing strongly. In the last few years we have seen an annual increase of about 8-10% in worldwide and European demand for berries, with strawberries accounting for between 50 and 60% of the category. In view of this context, we are faced with a series of issues to be considered, linked first and foremost to the need for year-round availability of strawberries. So during the Symposium 2020 we will be discussing production techniques in all locations (field, soilless, northern and southern hemispheres) and also be explaining all the latest new developments originating from genomics and biotechnologies. There will be papers, too, on new crop protection techniques, such as the use of ultraviolet radiation to control fungi and parasites.” “There will be a vast number of new ideas,” Dr Baruzzi confirms, “because in a four-year period the international world of research always comes up with various innovations. We have already received more than 300 scientific contributions for presentation at the Symposium, with important new developments for the strawberry industry. A total of almost 150 oral papers will be presented during the congress. What’s more, during the fourth and final day, which will also be the middle day of the Macfrut Exhibition, we will be provided with a specific hall within the show for the Symposium, with a pomological exhibition and a number of events, including one focusing on the nursery certification of strawberry plants, an area, moreover, where Italy is playing a very important role.” “Nowadays, everyone in the strawberry sector, and in the fruit and vegetable industry in general,” Prof. Battino comments, “is faced with consumers who are paying increasing attention not only to the fruit’s appearance but also to its price and its health characteristics. Today, consumers also expect that specific fruit to be good for their health. We will be discussing all these issues at the Symposium 2020, thanks to inputs from academics and experts from right around the world.” To view the full programme of the Symposium: https://www.iss2020.com/program-3/ Full profiles of the various speakers and further information can be found on the Symposium website at: https://www.iss2020.com The event is organised by Università Politecnica delle Marche and the Italian Consiglio per la ricerca e l’economia agraria (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics - CREA), in association with the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). Registration to attend the event is still open online at the following link: https://www.iss2020.com/registration/ Tour:Pre-tour | 30 April – 02 May: https://www.iss2020.com/event/pre-tour-30-april-2-may-2020/ Post-tour | 7 – 8 May: https://www.iss2020.com/event/post-tour-7-8-may-2020/ Social Media:https://www.facebook.com/ISS.RIMINI2020/ https://twitter.com/IssRimini2020 https://www.instagram.com/iss.rimini2020/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/iss-rimini2020/  Pictures1. Bruno Mezzetti, Full Professor in Arboriculture at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche2. Gianluca Baruzzi, CREA research scientist3. Maurizio Battino, Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Specialized Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche