We are pleased to invite you to attend at the I st. International
Symposium on Flowering, Fruit Set and Alternate Bearing that will be
held in Palermo, Italy, June 19-23, 2017, under the auspices of the
International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). The Symposium
aims to discuss the latest advances in all disciplines related to
Flowering, Fruit Set and Alternate Bearing in temperate,
tropical and subtropical tree crop species. In the context of global
climate change, plants will be facing increasing abiotic and biotic
constraints. We have to expect rise in average daily temperatures,
in atmospheric CO2 concentration, soil salinity in some areas,
lower and or more irregular rainfall causing drought or floods.
Hence, climate change can alter significantly plant phenology,
biology and productivity, as well as make worse
alternate bearing phenomena. Alternate bearing is a significant
economic problem for a number of fruit and nut industries worldwide.
The limited supply of fruit in the off-crop year can lead to loss of
market share that is not always regained the following year. Alternate
bearing poor flowering and low fruit set are often triggered by
external factor (such as unfavorable weather or poor crop management).
Therefore, new knowledge are required in order to improve plant
adaptation to these constraints as well as to reduce water, nutrients
and chemical inputs. Plant breeding, innovative cultural practices
are all effective levers that can be combined in order to improve
crop yield and quality. A renewed modeling effort is needed in order
to provide an integrated
understanding of horticultural system functioning.
The objective of the Symposium is to share interdisciplinary knowledge
about the combined effects of biotic and abiotic stress on
Flowering, Fruit Set and Alternate Bearing in temperate,
tropical and subtropical tree crop species with particular references
to breeding, genomics, physiological and horticultural technologies
plant science areas.
