GrainGenes
A Database for Triticeae and Avena
Report from the Sixth International Barley Genetics Symposium
Roland von Bothmer and Mats GustafssonDepartment of Plant Breeding Research
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-268 31 Svalöv, Sweden.
The Sixth International Barley Genetics Symposium was held July 22-27, 1991 in the town of Helsingborg in southern Sweden bordering Denmark. Between 350-400 persons attended the meeting, listened to lectures, and participated in workshops and business meetings. The symposium was organized by a local organizing committee representing all the five Nordic countries. Due to the new political development especially in eastern Europe, and many scientists from these countries wanted to attend the symposium. The limitation for attending was economy and it was the ambition of the organizing committee to sponsor as many persons as possible. In total we succeeded to raise funding (in part or total) for ca 40 persons representing 10 countries.
Ten sessions covering different aspects of barley breeding and research were carried through, namely: Session 1. Genetic variation, genetic resources, wide hybridizations; 2. Biochemistry and biotechnology; 3. Molecular genetics; 4. Cell and tissue culture; 5. Gene mapping, cytogenetics and mutations; 6. Breeding methods; 7. Nutritional quality; 8. Malting quality; 9. Crop physiology; 10. Disease resistance and pest management. In each session two lectures covered different aspects of the subject. Five plenary lectures covered more wider aspects on breeding, quality, and barley as a model organism. Poster reviews were organized within the scope for all the 10 sessions and in total 225 posters were presented. Discussions about posters were organized in "poster sessions" lead by a chairman.
A novelty for this symposium was that papers of the posters were published as short communications with a maximum of 3 pages per poster. This was published in the first volume of the Proceedings (652 pages) which was printed and available already at the start of the symposium. The second volume of the Proceedings which appeared in August 1992 comprises major review lectures, reports from plenary sessions, business meetings, and workshops.
The following workshops were organized during the symposium: The Barley Core Collection; Nutritional quality; Mutations, gene mapping and nomenclature; Malting quality; Restriction Fragment Length Polymorfism (RFLP) in barley; and Breeding for abiotic stress.
One afternoon was devoted to an excursion to the breeding companies Svalöf AB and W. Weibull AB in Svalöv and Landskrona, respectively. The breeding programs were demonstrated as well as mutations, translocations, wild species, and old Nordic barley varieties
The symposium was ended by a round table discussion on "The contribution of barley to agriculture now and in the future".
The International Organizing Committee (IOC) held two meetings during the symposium and agreed that some realignment is necessary to recognize the political changes which have occurred in the former USSR and in Eastern Europe. Thus one member will represent Eastern Europe (H. Küüts) and one member will represent the C.I.S. (V. Shevtsov) in the IOC. Because of the unification of the two German states (DDR and FRG), which earlier were represented by one member each in the IOC, it was decided that the unified Germany will have one representative. The IOC decided that the committee should be enlarged with two members, ICARDA and C.I.S. The members of the International Organizing Committee for the next period are:
To these will be added one representative for Australia. P. R. Shewry was elected to be the new international financial chairman in the IOC. The next symposium (Seventh International Barley Genetics Symposium) was decided to be arranged in Saskatoon, Canada in 1996 and with Professor Bryan Harvey as chairman of the local organizing committee. The IOC expressed support for ratification of the resolution from the workshop on barley genetic resources organized by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) which preceded the IBGS. It was also decided that the 6th IBGS should be evaluated by the Nordic Organizing Committee and the report sent to the organizers of the next symposium for considerations.R. von Bothmer, Sweden (Chairman)
J. Franckowiak, U.S.A.
W. Friedt, Germany J. Hamblin (ICARDA)
B. L. Harvey, Canada (Secretary)
T. Konishi, Japan
H. Küüts, Estonia
W. Shao, P. R. China
V. Shevtsov, C.I.S.
P.R.Shewry, U.K.
The two volumes of Proceedings (in total 1175 pages) can be purchased from: Munksgaard, Box 2148, DK-1016 Copenhagen K, Denmark. The cost for vol. 1 is Dkr 500 and for vol. 2 Dkr 700 and for the two volumes Dkr 1000 plus postage.
In addition to the companies and organizations listed in vol. 2 of the Proceedings, the Nordic organizing committee wishes to express its sincere thanks also to:
Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Japan
Sanofi Elf Bio Recherches, France