Local Organizing Committee
A. Kurishbayev, Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Chairman
A. Morgounov, CIMMYT, Secretary
A. Abugalieva, Center of Crop Science and farming, RK
V. Berezin, National Academy of Sciences, RK
R. Bersimbayev, Kazak National University
T. Espolov, Kazakh Agricultural University
M. Karabayev, CIMMYT
J. Kaskarbayev, Kazakh Res. Institute of Cereals
K. Metzler, GTZ
R. Paroda, CGIAR-PFU/ICARDA
I. Rakhimbayev, Kazakh Res. Inst. of Genetics, Physiology and Biotechnology
B. R. Urazaliev, Center of Crop Science and farming, RK

For the past few months, since the announcement of the 1^st Central Asian Wheat Conference, the Organizing Committee has received more than 150 applications from 25 countries, which demonstrates a high level of interest in the conference. The main organizers and sponsors of the conference, viz the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakstan, CIMMYT, ICARDA, GTZ and Washington State University, confirm their support of the conference and hope it will successfully facilitate cooperation in science and wheat production in the Central Asian region.

The Conference will take place at The House of Scientists of the Kazakh National Academy of Sciences (29, Kurmangazy St., Almaty). The House of Scientists is well suited to conduct international conferences, as it has a good amphitheater hall with a capacity for 250 people and facilities for simultaneous translation. There are also two halls with a capacity of 50 people to conduct parallel sessions if needed. The entrance hall in the first floor is big and suitable for poster sessions. The building of the National Academy of Sciences is one of the landmarks of Almaty. It is situated 300-500 m from the two hotels where most conference participants will stay. The Kazakh National Theater of Opera and Ballet, Independence Square, Kazakh State Agric. University, Concert Hall, a movie theater and many cafes and restaurants within walking distance.

Conference languages are English and Russian. Simultaneous translation will be provided during the plenary sessions. The Abstracts of the Conference will be published in English and Russian. The poster presentations will be in English and Russian where possible.

10 June
09:00 Opening of the conference. Speeches of representatives of:

• Ministry of Agriculture of Republic of Kazakstan
• Federal Republic of Germany
• CIMMYT
• ICARDA
• Washington State University
• GFAR
09:30 S. Rajaram (CIMMYT, Mexico). Global achievements in wheat breeding and perspectives for 2020
10:15 T. Lumpkin (Washington State University, USA). Modern trends of wheat production.
11:00 Coffee-break
11:30 R. Urazaliev (Kazakhstan). Results and perspectives of wheat production in Central Asia.
12:00 E. Meng (CIMMYT, Mexico). Global aspects of wheat production in Central Asia and liberalization of trade and market.
12:30 J. Snape (J. Innes Centre, Great Britain). The current and future application of biotechnology in wheat improvement.
13:00 Lunch

14:00 Plenary Session: Regional network GTZ-CIMMYT-ICARDA-WSU on wheat breeding, variety promotion and seed production.
14:00 А. Morgounov (CIMMYT-Kazakstan). Main results and prospective of regional wheat cooperation through GTZ-CIMMYT and WSU-CIMMYT projects.
14:20 V. Zykin (Russia). Kazakstan-Siberia Network for Spring Wheat Improvement (KASIB): results and prospective.
14:40 A. Yahyaoui (ICARDA, Syria). Improvement of wheat resistance to yellow rust through regional cooperation.
15:00 A. Amanov & F. Hufler (President Administration & GTZ, Uzbekistan). Improvement of seed production of new winter wheat varieties in Central Asia.
15:20 Coffee-break
15:40 Plenary Session: Winter wheat breeding.
17:00 Poster session and Panel discussions.
18:30 Distinguished lecture by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan "Green Revolution in India: past, present and future"

11 June
09:00 Plenary session: Spring wheat breeding.
11:00 Coffee break
11:15 Plenary session: Wheat resistance to diseases and pests.
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Plenary session: International experience of sustainable and efficient wheat production (policy, economics, mechanization, markets, breeding, agronomy).
15:30 Coffee break
15:45 Continuation of the plenary session.
17:00 Poster session and Panel discussion

12 June
09:00-17:00 Day of Kazakhstan.

• Visits to the field and laboratories of the Kazakh Center of Crop Science and Farming
• Excursion to the Kazakh National History Museum
• Concert
• Official reception

13 June
09:00 Plenary session: Genetic resources of wheat.
10:00 Plenary session: Biotechnology of wheat
11:00 Coffee break
11:15 Plenary session: Wheat grain quality, storage and processing.
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Wheat cultivation technologies under rainfed and irrigated conditions
16:00 Coffee break
16:15 Plenary session: Regional cooperation on wheat.
17:00 Adoption of recommendations and closure of the conference

The conference participants should indicate if they want to make an oral or poster presentation. Based on the abstracts, the Organizing Committee will decided which presentations will be included into the program. The conference participants will be informed about the type of presentation before April 15, 2003. The requirements for the posters (size) will also be communicated before April 15, 2003.

1. The abstract should present the key points of the presentation and consist of three sections: introduction, main body (may include one table) and conclusions.
2. The abstract should be English.
3. It should not exceed 1.5 page using A4 format.
4. The text should be single-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 font and aligned to the full page width.
5. The title of the abstract should be identical to the title of the presentation and be typed in capital letters. Do not include subtitles.
6. The names of the authors, in italic, with academic degree, institution, city and country should be indicated under the title.
7. Reference to literature sources should be provided in brackets, including the author’s name and year of publication.
8. Latin names should be written in italic.
9. The abstract should be submitted either electronically or as hard copy together with a floppy disk.
10. The abstract must be submitted before March 1, 2003 with the Registration Form.

The participants will be offered three hotels:

Hotel Dostyk.

Former Communist Party Quarters offer excellent, spacious rooms. The hotel is within 300 m of the Conference venue. The cost of a single room – US$85, a double room - $125 including breakfast.

The 26-storey building of the hotel is a landmark of Almaty. There is an excellent view of the city and the mountains. The hotel is situated 500 m from the House of Scientists. The cost of single and double rooms varies between $40 and $100, depending on the type of room and level of comfort. Breakfast is included in the cost and offered at the top floor with panoramic view.

Situated near the main shopping center, the hotel is within a 10 minute drive from the conference venue by public transport. The cost of a single room - $20-40, double room - $30-60 without breakfast.

The participants should indicate the hotel preference on the Registration Form.

All the capitals of Central Asian countries have reliable surface and/or air connections to Almaty. The local airlines, Air Kazakhstan and Air Astana, fly to Beijing, Bangkok, Dehli, Dubai, Istanbul, Frankfurt and Moscow. International airlines (British Airways, Iran Air, Lufthansa, KLM, Turkish Airlines) have regular service to Almaty.

All foreign participants of the conference need a visa to visit Kazakhstan. A visa can be obtained in the consulate if the residence country of the participant has one. If there is no embassy– a visa can be obtained in the Consular Department of Kazakhstan in any other country. In exceptional cases a visa can be obtained upon arrival the Almaty International Airport. The organizing Committee will provide visa support to all the registered participants. Those who require a visa will need to send a copy of the main page of the passport, along with the Registration Form. The cost of a visa varies, depending on the country of citizenship.

The city of Almaty is a big cultural and financial center of Kazakhstan and the region. Despite being a relatively young city (established in 1854), it has many attractions, museums, parks and entertainment sites. The main attractions will be included in the Day of Kazakhstan on June 12. The conference participants can also enjoy the city during their free time.

If there is an interest from the participants – a trip to the jewels of Central Asia (Turkestan, Tashkent, Samarkand, Khiva) will be offered. The duration of the tour is 8-10 days. The route will be developed once we know there are interested participants. The Central Asian Tourism Corporation in Almaty is in charge of arranging the trip.

• Registration pack and conference documents
• Participation in the conference sessions and other conference activities
• Coffee-breaks
• Transportation to and from the airport
• The book of abstracts of the conference
• Participation in the Day of Kazakhstan
• Visa support

Thanks to the conference sponsors, the Organizing Committee will be able to provide financial support to limited number of participants. The support will be primarily provided to

• Conference participants from Central Asia, who are giving oral presentations at plenary sessions.
• Young scientists (below 35 years of age) from Central Asia region and especially graduate students who actively take part in wheat research and submit interesting abstracts.

Financial support can be provided in full or in part (registration, transportation, lodging). Interested participants should indicate the kind of support required in the Registration Form.

Communication with the conference participants will be through the Secretariat of the Organizing Committee at CIMMYT office in Almaty at the following address:

Name, Surname: _____________________________________________________________

Institution: _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Department/Program: ___________________________________________________________

Mailing address: ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________Country: _______________________________

E-mail: ______________________Phone: ___________________ Fax: ____________________

Presentation:   __Oral     __Poster

Title: _________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

I will cover the registration Fee of $150 after arrival to Almaty.

Please book the Hotel _______________________from ___ till ___ June 2003.

__I am interested in pre- or post-conference tour

__I am interested in accompanying person program

I require financial support for :

__Registration Fee

__Trip to Almaty and back ( amount of ____________ USD)

__Lodging in Almaty

__I need visa support for Kazakhstan and attached my passport details.