International fireblight congress in Zurich

Zurich/Wädenswil, 02.07.2013 - The fruit disease, fireblight, continues to be a big problem for apple and pear producers. Research into new, effective preventative measures and control programmes is in full swing. Every three years, an international fireblight congress is held to enable all the involved experts to meet and exchange knowledge. The congress will be held for the 13th time from 2 - 5 July 2013, this time in Zurich. It is being organised by Agroscope and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

"Nothing inspires science like chatting with colleagues in the corridor." (Arno Penzias, American physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics). The international fireblight congress in Zurich brings together experts and colleagues from all over the globe to inspire research into fireblight with a programme of talks and field surveys and all this....in the corridor if you want.

A Swiss day on 2 July and the international congress from 2-5 July

A national symposium will be taking place on Tuesday morning, 2 July 2013. The Agroscope research programme, ProfiCrops, invites people to seek the answers to the following questions at the fireblight congress: Where does research stand today and what kinds of applications have emerged for fireblight management? What are the current opportunities and risks? What types of needs become apparent from practical experience?

The highlight of this morning is the lecture given by Hans Dreyer from the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG. He will be talking about "Fireblight in an agricultural-political environment".

The international programme will begin on Tuesday afternoon at 1.30 pm. Michael Gysi, Director of Agroscope, will welcome all participants. In addition to workshops at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, field visits at the Agroscope site in Wädenswil are also part of the programme.

Swiss research is committed to fighting fire blight

See the PDF called "ProfiCrops IP Feuerbrand" on the right.

Interview with two Swiss fruit production experts

See the PDF called "Interview" on the right.

Programme (abstract)

Tuesday 2 July, 9.30 am - 12.15 noon

Combining research and practice for successful fireblight management in Switzerland; 10.40 am: Talk by Hans Dreyer of the Federal Office for Agriculture. For further talks, please refer to the online programme, which is accessed via the links on the right.

Tuesday 2 July, 1.30 - 5.40 pm

The 13th international fireblight workshop will be opened with a welcome speech by Michael Gysi, Director of Agroscope. Introductory talks provide an overview of the current status of international research

Wednesday 3 July, 9.00 am - 7.30 pm

Workshops on diagnosis methods and biological and chemical management of fireblight

Thursday 4 July, 9 - 4.00 pm

Workshops on the genetics of fireblight and its host plants

Thursday 4 July, 4.00 - 8.00 pm

Field visits at the Agroscope site in Wädenswil

Friday 5 July, 9.00 am - 2.00 pm

Workshops on cultivating fireblight-resistant fruit types

Locations

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (talks and workshops)

Agroscope in Wädenswil (field surveys and barbecue)

Address for enquiries

Brion Duffy
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW
P.O. Box CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
brion.duffy@agroscope.admin.ch
+41 (0)44 783 64 16

Cesare Gessler, Professor for Plant Pathology
ETH Zürich
Universitätsstr. 2, 8092 Zürich
cesare.gessler@usys.ethz.ch
Tel. +41 (0)44 632 38 71

Anna Crole-Rees
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW
P.O. Box CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
anna.crole-rees@agroscope.admin.ch
+41 (0)44 783 61 58

Carole Enz, Media Services
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW
P.O. Box CH-8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
carole.enz@acw.admin.ch
+41 (0)44 783 62 72, +41 (0)79 593 89 85