Dundee, Scotland
9-11 July 2001
The 8th International Rubus and Ribes Symposium was held at the West Park Conference Centre, University of Dundee, Scotland from July 9-11, 2001. The symposium was organised by the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI), Dundee and by Horticulture Research International (HRI), East Malling, Kent. The Symposium Chairman, Dr. Brian Williamson of SCRI, welcomed all the delegates to Dundee and encouraged them to attend the XXVI ISHS International Congress in Toronto in August 2002.
The symposium was attended by 160 delegates from 27 countries and we were joined by colleagues from Argentina, Chile, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for the first time. A total of 126 papers were presented of which 47 were oral presentations and 79 were posters. Four main disciplines were covered - Breeding and Genetics, Pathology, Fruit Quality and Nutritional Aspects, and Agronomy. It was notable that the third discipline was much expanded from earlier meetings of this group and that there were eight papers on antioxidant content and the health benefits of Rubus and Ribes fruit, whereas there had been none at the previous symposium in January 1998. There were eight invited speakers who gave review papers on Rubus and Ribes breeding, Rubus and Ribes virology, root rot, health benefits of blackcurrants, sensory profiling and new Rubus and Ribes production systems.
An ISHS business meeting was held on the last day. It was proposed that the Rubus and Ribes group should be split into two groups but this motion was overwhelmingly defeated. Dr. Adam Dale from University of Guelph, Ontario was elected as the new Chairman of the ISHS Rubus and Ribes Working Group. There were two suggestions for the location of the next Symposium, Chile and Ontario, and the members voted for Chile. Dr. Pilar Banados will host the next meeting at Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago in November/December 2005.
Fifty-three people took part in the pre-symposium tour in England which included visits to HRI-East Malling, a commercial pack-house and seven soft fruit farms in Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Hereford and Shropshire. While in Dundee delegates visited SCRI and two farms near Blairgowrie. There was also an excellent accompanying persons programme in Scotland which included visits to Edinburgh, St. Andrews and the Scottish Highlands.
Photo courtesy of Dundee Courier
There was an interesting reception at Discovery Quay in Dundee that included a tour of Captain Scott's 'RRS Discovery' and the Discovery Exhibition Centre describing his historic exploration of Antarctica. The conference dinner was held in the Invercarse Hotel and was followed by a splendid ceilidh. Everybody joined in the traditional Scottish dancing and great fun was had by all. In summary, it was a highly successful Symposium, characterised by excellent presentations, impeccable organization and good times spent with old and new friends.
The committee would like to thank all the people who contributed to the success of the symposium and the pre-symposium tour and all the organizations which provided sponsorship.
Vicky Knight, Organising Committee, HRI-East Malling
