Hort Forum: the ISHS Horticultural Debate Forum
Prof. Dr. Ted DeJong, ISHS Vice-President responsible for overseeing the scientific programs of the International Society for Horticultural Science supports the launch of the web-based initiative called "Hort Forum".
"The idea of this activity is to have webinars followed by panel discussions and open questions pertaining to the topic being presented. This initiative provides opportunities for debating the positive and negative aspects of some of the science and technology innovations that are current in our fields of horticulture research. It is my contention that many times our meetings have become a bit stale and the normal course of events is that researchers make brief presentations at meetings or even in seminars. There is sometimes a brief time for polite questions, but there is little time devoted to debate or to openly discuss what is presented. The idea of "Hort Forum" is to provide opportunities for members of our Society to have this type of open discussion on current topics.
For the first "Hort Forum" I have chosen to initiate a discussion on the topic of 2D orchard systems. This is a very popular concept that is being promoted for many orchard crops and there is some controversy about the general advisability of these systems in varying circumstances. Future "Hort Forums" will be on different topics and I am open to receiving suggestions for future topics that would be good subjects for this format. Please email me your suggestions. I thank George Manganaris for his willingness to manage the web aspects of this project and in helping with the organization to make this first "Hort Forum" a reality. He has managed to provide an opportunity for up to 1000 members of our Society to attend these on-line meetings. If you are interested register on a first-come, first-served basis."
Ted DeJong
Vice-President of the ISHS Board and Chair of the ISHS Executive Committee
tmdejong@ucdavis.edu
ISHS Hort Forum Episode 5:
Agroecology for sustainable horticulture: It's time to address it
Thursday, April 18, 2024, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
This ISHS Hort Forum webinar has ended - the video recording of this webinar is available below for on-demand viewing.
Speaker: Georgina Catacora-Vargas , Universidad Católica Boliviana, Tiahuanacu (Bolivia)
- Organizers: Ted DeJong, UC Davis (USA), George Manganaris, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)
- Moderators: Maria Claudia Dussi, Nat'l University of Comahue (Argentina), Pierre-Eric Lauri, INRAE (France)
- Panelists: Adolfo Rosati, CREA (Italy), Tim Bowles, University of California Berkeley (USA), Alexander Wezel, ISARA (France) and Paulo F. Petersen, AS-PTA (Brazil)
Thursday, April 18, 2024, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
As a concept, agroecology was proposed over a century ago as a framework for more sustainable farming systems. It is promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2018) "Scaling up Agroecology to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals" (SDGs). Agroecology seeks to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel (petrol, gas), to reduce pollution of the environment and to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is based on principles that collectively aim to increase the autonomy and the resilience of the agroecosystem, among them, enhancing beneficial interactions and synergisms within agroecosystems, recycling biomass, enhancing soil biotic activity, minimizing nutrient losses, increasing energy efficiency, increasing species and within-species diversity. Beyond these aspects, agroecology also changes our disciplinary approaches of horticulture and promotes trans disciplinary relationships, combining academic and non-academic knowledge, to be able to face the challenge of improving well-being of growers and health of consumers under global change. Agroecology proposes a new model for agriculture and food production that leads to distributive justice, restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, and food sovereignty. In this Hort Forum, we therefore seek to clarify the meaning of agroecology to be able to face the current and future challenges of horticulture. Among the standpoints that we want to address are innovations in the agroecology agrifood chains, perspectives in different world regions, future of research on agroecology, role of digitalization, as well as other aspects.
Hort Forum Episode 5: Abstract, speaker, organizers and panelists brochure: download here
ISHS Hort Forum Episode 4:
Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere Storage: A paradigm shift in postharvest science
Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
This ISHS Hort Forum webinar has ended - the video recording of this webinar is available below for on-demand viewing.
Speaker: Angelo Zanella , Research Centre Laimburg, Ora, (Italy)
- Organizers: Ted DeJong, UC Davis (USA), George Manganaris, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus) and Giancarlo Colelli, University of Foggia (Italy)
- Panelists: Bart Nicolai, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Chris Watkins, Cornell University (USA), Robert Prange, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Canada - Retired) and Auri Brackmann, Federal University of Santa Maria (Brazil)
Wednesday, April 3, 2024, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
The landscape of postharvest storage technology is experiencing a paradigm shift, marked by advancements in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage for horticultural products. Extending the postharvest lifespan of certain horticultural products, achieved through optimal cooling procedures, can be enhanced by adjusting the storage atmosphere to a 'so called' optimal composition, based on empirically determined values set consistently for the entire storage duration. Evolution has progressed from static to dynamic CA (DCA) conditions, adapting specifically to the unique requirements of different fruit. Recent developments in sensor technologies capable of monitoring physiological responses to hypoxia have paved the way for exploration beyond traditional oxygen thresholds, promising enhanced quality and extended marketing potential for horticultural products. Notably, the reduction of oxygen levels to extremes has shown efficacy in preventing physiological disorders such as superficial scald, rendering the use of postharvest treatments such as diphenylamine (DPA) obsolete. It has been critical to validate bio-sensing technologies for the determination of the Lowest Oxygen Limit (LOL) in order to enable the customization of atmosphere composition based on specific fruit requirements, including cultivar variations, pedo-climatic factors, and agronomic conditions throughout the storage phase. Ethanol sensors and the availability of fluorescence sensors have played pivotal roles in achieving DCA. The introduction of Respiratory Quotient (RO), later coupled with CO2-rate, sensing has raised expectations for further advancements, such as the fusion of sensor information, integration with artificial intelligence (AI), and the development of new sensors for monitoring chilling and carbon dioxide levels. While DCA has proven successful in many practical applications, the challenges lie in navigating the post-DCA phase, especially in reaching distant or complex markets. Overcoming these challenges necessitates the integration of comprehensive know-how and specialized equipment.
Hort Forum Episode 4: Abstract, speaker, organizers and panelists brochure: download here
ISHS Hort Forum Episode 3:
Leveraging Molecular Markers in Fruit Tree Breeding: From Promise to Reality
Tuesday, 28th November 2023, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
This ISHS Hort Forum webinar has ended - the video recording of this webinar is available below for on-demand viewing.
Speaker: Ksenija Gasic, Professor, Clemson University, South Carolina (USA)
- Organizers: Ted DeJong, UC Davis (USA) and George Manganaris, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)
- Moderator: François Laurens, President of ISHS (France)
- Panelists: Tom Gradziel, UC Davis (USA), Richard Volz, The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research (New Zealand), Marco Cirilli, University of Milan (Italy) and Jose Quero, INRAE Bordeaux (France)
Tuesday, 28th November 2023, Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
Fruit tree breeding has undergone a significant transformation with the emergence of genomics technologies. The availability of extensive genomic resources, such as whole genome sequences, genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genetic markers, has created expectations for DNA-assisted breeding potential to accelerate the development of new cultivars with desirable traits. DNA-informed breeding is now the norm in many tree fruit breeding programs, successfully increasing the efficiency of trait selection and gene pyramiding while shortening the time required for new cultivar development. While genetic-based breeding has been successful in improving fruit quality and biotic stress resistance in tree fruits, the application of genomic-assisted breeding is still in its early stages and presents new opportunities for future breeding efforts. An overview of the status and future prospects of genomics-enabled breeding efforts in tree fruit crops will be presented. The challenges and opportunities associated with the use of DNA information in tree fruit breeding, including the need to better understand the genetic architecture of important traits and the development of reliable and efficient genomic selection methods will be discussed. Examples of DNA-informed breeding use from RosBREED project will be presented for all breeding stages, including pre-breeding for disease resistance, parental and seedling selection, and elite selection advancement. Finally, a perspective on the future directions of tree fruit breeding in the genomic era and how genomics-enabled breeding can contribute to the sustainable production of high-quality cultivars and their adaptation to new climatic scenarios will be provided.
Hort Forum Episode 3: Abstract, speaker, organizers and panelists brochure: download here
ISHS Hort Forum Episode 2:
The present and future of the use of autonomous equipment and robotic harvesters in field-based fruit production
Thursday, April 27, 2023, 5pm-7pm (CET)
This ISHS Hort Forum webinar has ended - the video recording of this webinar is available below for on-demand viewing.
Speaker: Stavros Vougioukas, Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California (USA)
- Organizers: Ted DeJong, UC Davis (USA) and George Manganaris, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)
- Panelists: Ines Hanrahan, Washington Tree Fruit Commission (USA), Tim Delbridge, Oregon State University (USA), Lorenzo Marconi, University of Bologna (Italy) and Elia Bruni, Agrtec (Italy)
Thursday, 27th April 2023,Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
Mechanizing the manual harvesting of fresh market fruits constitutes one of the biggest challenges to the sustainability of the fruit industry Robotic harvester prototypes are being developed and field-tested for high-volume, high-value crops, such as apples, kiwifruit, and strawberries. However, most of the developed robots have not, to date, successfully replaced the judgment, dexterity, and speed of experienced pickers at a competing cost; the challenges of inadequate fruit picking efficiency and throughput remain largely unsolved. This first part of this presentation will present the main factors - horticultural and technological - that shape robots' harvest efficiencies and speeds and will stimulate discussion on approaches to overcome the existing limitations. As an intermediate step to full automation, mechanical labor aids have been introduced to increase productivity by reducing workers' non-productive time. The second part of this presentation will introduce the state of the art in robotic harvest-aid technology and present results from deploying robotic harvest-aid systems during commercial harvesting. Finally, the presentation will conclude by discussing 'big-picture' issues related to autonomous agricultural machines, labor, and the existing and necessary standards and regulatory framework.
Hort Forum Episode 2: Abstract, speaker, organizers and panelists brochure: download here
ISHS Hort Forum Episode 1:
Are 2-D orchard canopy management systems a leap forward or a side-step?
Tuesday, February 7, 2023, 5pm-7pm (CET)
This ISHS Hort Forum webinar has ended - the video recording of this webinar is available below for on-demand viewing.
Speaker: Terence Lee Robinson, Professor of Pomology, Horticulture Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell AgriTech, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University (USA)
- Organizers: Ted DeJong, UC Davis (USA) and George Manganaris, Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)
- Panelists: Luca Corelli Grappadelli, University of Bologna (Italy), Stefano Musacchi, Washington State University (USA), Gregory Lang, Michigan State University (USA) and Ben van Hooijdonk, Institute for Plant and Food Research (New Zealand)
Tuesday, 7th February 2023,Hours: 17:00 – 19:00 Central European Time (CET)
Since the 1970s, fruit scientists have understood that quality of tree fruit crops is related to the exposure of the fruit and the surrounding leaves to light. This has led to more narrow canopies with higher light distribution which resulted in improved fruit quality. Concurrently, pioneers in high-density plantings have shown that early yield and cumulative yield are higher and fruit quality is better with high-density orchards and this has resulted in large improvements in lifetime profitability. Since the early 2000s, there has been a trend toward even more narrow canopies (fruiting walls) often termed 2-D systems. Those advocating these narrow systems report improved fruit quality and the possibility of easier mechanization, especially now that robotic mechanical harvesters are being developed. However, there is little data indicating that such canopies will outyield more traditional high-density canopies and more importantly that they are more profitable than a 3-D high-density system. This presentation is aimed at stimulating a scientific discussion of the value of 2-D systems and whether they represent an important leap forward in tree fruit production from an economic perspective.
