S15- Ornamental Horticulture: Colour Your World

Conveners:

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Invited Speakers:

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The ornamental industry is a fast-growing global industry, which has achieved significant growth rates during the past few decades. In the 1950s, the global flower trade was less than US$3 billion, while the global trade volume in 2000s was more than US$100 billion. The competition for existing flower markets has been constantly increasing and, consequently, it has increased the demand for high quality products. In addition, the globalization of the horticultural trade has lead to advances in the transfer of knowledge and economic progress in developing countries. Thus, production of ornamental crops is no longer limited to countries with temperate climates, but has become significant in regions with warm climates. This has been promoted by relatively inexpensive land and low labor costs in the developing countries, and the expansion of international trade. These advances not only have presented a challenge to the flower industry, but also affected changes in research programs. They require multidisciplinary approaches for the improvement of existing ornamental crops and for potentially useful species, and their development into new commercial crops and novel products. This paradigm has also led to the initiation of studies dealing with physiological and biochemical aspects of plant development, new methods of production and propagation, breeding of new varieties with improved and useful traits, as well as molecular and biochemical research.

The proposed Symposium will unify researchers and industry representative in their efforts to improve and develop new profitable ornamental crops, for the sustainable production and benefit of customers over the world. For many years, the primary goal of most research was to provide the ornamental industry with the technologies that enable them to produce crops with highly efficient growth cycles and meet high quality market and regulatory standards. These goals are still essential, and a great deal of the current research is dedicated to plant development, quality and reproduction. However, at present the global industry faces new challenges, which were difficult to foresee even a few years ago. Environmental issues, regulations, and globalization will likely continue to shape future research goals and directions. Scientists are challenged not only to study plant life, support industry or to develop certain products and technologies, but also to serve society in general. This goal necessitates combining comprehensive knowledge of plants with ecological vision, market prospective and great responsibilities for the wellbeing of future generations. The Symposium will contribute to the exchange of new ideas and research results, as well as better communication between academic research and ornamental industry.

Flowers and ornamental plants have always had an important part in Turkish life and culture, affecting art in stylized form from tiles to fabrics to poems and songs, and everyday life from cooking to naming children. Tulips, roses, carnations, hyacinth, magnolia and many others have a special place in Turkish culture. The Symposium will also help to learn more on ornamental culture an industry in Turkey.

Main themes:

• Employment of new scientific tools and techniques, including molecular and genetic research
• Sustainable production systems, energy efficiency, Integrated Pest Management
• Applied research and research-industry interactions
• Production, marketing,  consumption and economic issues of the industrial sector
• Globalization and market-oriented research
• Ecological vision: harmony between natural resources and commercial production
• Development of new ornamental crops

Scientific Committee:

• Neil O. Anderson (University of Minnesota, Dept. of Horticultural Science, USA)
• Paul Arens (Wageningen UR - Plant Breeding, The Netherlands)
• Yao-Chien Alex Chang (Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, Taiwan)
• Silan Dai (Beijing Forestry University, China)
• Thomas Debener (Leibniz University Hannover, Germany)
• John M. Dole (North Carolina State University, USA)
• Seiichi Fukai (Kagawa University, Japan)
• Keith Allen Funnell (The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, New Zealand)
• Mathala Juliet Gupta (ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute Ela, India)
• Ki-Byung Lim (Kyungpook National University Dept. of Horticultural Science, Korea)
• Yeşim Neslihan Yalçın Mendi (Çukurova University Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Turkey)
• Hanu R. Pappu (Washington State University Department of Plant Pathology, USA)
• Margrethe Serek (Leibniz University Hannover, Germany)
• Dariusz Sochacki (Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, Poland)
• Johan M.M. Van Huylenbroeck (Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Belgium)