[Plsfaculty] Organic Fruit Symposium

[Brian Larkins]

Dear University Colleague,

Could you please help spread the word about the upcoming symposium described
below to your faculty?  At this point, we are trying to reach those who
would be interested in doing a presentation (oral or poster) as we want to
receive abstracts before the end of the year.  Thank you.

David Granatstein and Preston Andrews, Symposium Conveners

 



2nd International Organic Fruit Research Symposium

"Organic Fruit 2012: >From Research to Practice"

June 18-21, 2012  --  Leavenworth, Washington, USA

Second Announcement --  Call for Abstracts

Organic fruit production and marketing has expanded dramatically worldwide
in the past decade.  How much bigger can it grow?  What are the barriers to
it reaching its full potential, what research is underway to advance its
growth, and what more is needed?    What are the impacts of the organic
fruit production and marketing system on society and the environment, and
what are its implications for policy makers?  

Come learn and share your research and experience on the current and future
state of organic fruit production and marketing.  Gain insight on the
biggest challenges and where your research could make a difference.
Confirmed speakers included Dr. Franco Weibel (organic fruit in Europe), Dr.
Imre Holb (plant pathology challenges), Dr. Charles Benbrook (impacts of
organic fruit systems), and Dr. Robert Prange (post-harvest and human
nutrition issues).  The U.S. market for organic fruits will also be
discussed.  Participation is encouraged for all types of organic fruit -
pome and stone, berries, grapes and citrus, temperate to tropical.

We encourage you to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation.
Instructions for abstracts can be found at
http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/organicfruit2012/Call_for_Papers .  We are
requesting submissions by December 15, 2011 so we can review them and notify
authors by mid-February.  If you are unable to meet this deadline, please
contact Preston Andrews  andrewsp at wsu.edu .

At this research Symposium, located in a major organic tree fruit and berry
producing region, we will examine and discuss crop production, plant
protection, genetics, soils and nutrition, post-harvest, markets, policy,
and economics, and the impacts of organic fruit on the environment and
people.  We will feature speakers on key trends that are likely to shape the
organic fruit sector in the next decade and the research underway that will
help keep it viable. There will be a dedicated plant pathology track (both
pre-harvest and post-harvest) because of the important barrier diseases
represent in many regions of the world.  Poster sessions will allow
researchers to share their findings in more detail.  A tour of local organic
farms and fruit companies will be offered.  This event is a follow-up to the
2008 organic fruit conference in Vignola, Italy, the 2006 organic pome fruit
conference in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the four North American Organic Tree
Fruit Research Symposia (2001-2007).

Washington State is a leading producer of high-quality organic apples,
pears, cherries and berries that are marketed nationally and globally
through retail distribution chains, as well as locally at farmers' markets
and food co-ops. The state encompasses both arid to semi-arid climates with
fewer disease problems, as well as a wetter maritime climate with more
disease problems.  From large to small farms, Washington State is
successfully producing organic fruit, with organic apples comprising nearly
10% of the area of all commercial apples in the state.   

The Symposium will be held in the city of Leavenworth, nestled in the
eastern foothills of the beautiful Cascade Mountains, which separate wetter
western Washington from the drier east. Centrally located on the edge of the
main fruit-growing regions of the state, Leavenworth is about 3 hr driving
time from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  Tourism opportunities
abound, from wine tasting, to white-water rafting, to hiking.  Three
national parks are within a half-day's drive, as well as Puget Sound and the
Pacific Ocean.

Who should attend?    This Symposium will be attractive to researchers,
extension professionals, growers and consultants, suppliers, and retailers
who wish to share the latest developments in the world-wide organic fruit
supply chain.  Research presentations will predominate (through oral and
poster sessions) along with discussion periods and networking opportunities.
Accepted papers will be published as a volume of Acta Horticulturae.
Registration details will be available in the near future. 

Check the symposium web site for further details as they become available
http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/organicfruit2012/ .  For more information,
contact David Granatstein, Washington State University  granats at wsu.edu .

Please feel free to post this announcement and share it with interested
colleagues. 

--Sponsored by International Society of Horticultural Science 

--Organized by Washington State University

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsfaculty/attachments/20111104/4e49ad92/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 40486 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsfaculty/attachments/20111104/4e49ad92/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: Untitled attachment 00841.txt
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsfaculty/attachments/20111104/4e49ad92/attachment.txt>