Second Symposium and Training Course of the Agrisafe European Union Funded Project

Announcement of the Second Symposium and Training Course of the European Union-Funded Project Agrisafe

 Climate change: challenge for the training of applied plant scientists

Symposium and Training Course II: Biotic and Abiotic Stresses Including a one day workshop with FAO experts

March 23–27 2009

Venue:
Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
H-2462 Martonvásár Brunszvik u 2. Hungary
Phone: 36 22 569 500
Fax: 36 22 460 213
Web: www.agrisafe.eu

Climate variability has a fundamental influence on agro-ecosystems.

For a substantial part of Europe, climate change scenarios forecast significant decreases of up to 20% in plant productivity, coupled with a general decline in the stability of agricultural ecosystems. This is particularly true of the Carpathian Basin. Agriculture and food safety are extremely sensitive to climate changes, so adaptability to stress is likely to gain priority over the quantitative aspects of yield. This will demand new approaches both to plant breeding and crop production, and in research strategy.

The Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ARI HAS) is one of the leading centres for crop research and breeding in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Central Transdanubian convergence region, with a profile involving complex, interdependent, basic, methodological and applied research projects culminating in practical applications. The institute maintains close contacts with farmers and processors. Based on its international recognition and accumulated knowledge, the institute aims to develop into a regional Research Training and Service Centre to train and develop researchers, breeders and producers capable of offering practical help to farmers in Central and Eastern Europe in countering the unfavourable effects of predicted climate change. An increase in research potential is envisaged through strategic partnerships based on existing international contacts, whereby young scientists could gain valuable know-how and experience abroad, while experienced colleagues would be invited to work at ARI HAS.

The results achieved in the course of the project will not only be published in the form of scientific papers, but will also form the basis of talks and pamphlets aimed at farmers and food consumers in general, in order to make them aware of the likely effects of climate change and of how these can be mitigated in the interests of achieving secure infood supplies.

Invited speakers included

• Balázs Barna Mechanisms of plant diseases and disease resistance
  
• Ervin Balázs Environmental factors in virus disease development
  
• Zsófia Bánfalvi Molecular biology of drought tolerance
  
• Luigi Cattivelli Genetics and genomics analysis of wheat adaptation to drought conditions.
  
• Gábor Galiba Cold acclimation of cereals: Interaction between developmental phase and frost tolerance
  
• Ciro DePace Using alien germplasm to improve resistance to biotic stresses in crop species
  
• Ernesto Igartua Agroecological adaptation in barley
  
• Mariana Ittu Challenging the climate change on current and emerging diseases in cereals
  
• Ildikó Karsai Plant developmental patterns and environmental adaptation in barley
  
• Csaba Marton Maize breeding for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance
  
• Zoltán Szigeti Coping with stress - general aspects of plant responses.
  
• Imre Vass The effects of UV-B radiation on plants
  
• Gyula Vida Breeding wheat for biotic stress resistance - a practical approach.
  
• László Vigh Membranes as cellular thermometers in the high temperature sensing and signaling
  

Twenty young scientists (age limit 35) will be accepted for participation. Accepted participants will be provided with full board and accommodation along with partial travel support. 

 

Programme

Monday, March 23

8.30 am              Depart from Hotel Marton by bus

9.00 am              Registration

10.00 am           Welcome: Otto Veisz, DSc, Deputy Director, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS, programme head
                            The Agrisafe project

10.20 am           Professor Zoltán Szigeti DSc, Eötvös Lóránd University (ELTE) Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Department Head
                             Coping with stress - general aspects of plant responses

11.20 am          László Vigh academician, Biological Research Center of the HAS, Institute of Biochemistry
                           Membranes as cellular thermometers in the high temperature sensing and signaling

12.00 am          Lunch

13.30 pm          Professor Mariana Ittu, National Agricultural Research-Development Institute, Fundulea, Romania
                           Challenging the climate change on current and emerging diseases in cereals

14.30 pm         Csaba Marton DSc, Deputy Director, Maize Breeding Department Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
                           Maize breeding for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance

15.30 pm         Coffee and tea break

16.00 pm         Film entitled An inconvenient truth

18.00 pm         Dinner


Tuesday, March 24

FAO Expert Day


8.30 am          Depart from Hotel Marton by bus


9.00 am          Ms Maria Kadlecikova, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, REU (tbc)
                         Opening by Ms Maria Kadlecikova, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia


9.30 am          Speaker from FAO HQ or REU/SEU (tbc)
                         Global impact assessments, adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts in agriculture in FAO’s agenda, with specific reference to the                    FAO, IFAD, WFP and CGIAR High Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, Rome, June                 2008


10.00 am        Tomasz Lonc, Senior Policy Officer, Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe
                         Adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts in the European region, based on technical papers and policy recommendations of the                   26th Regional Conference for Europe, June 2008 Questions and discussions


10.30 am        Mitigation of climate change impacts in crop production
                         Avetik Nersisyan, Crop Production and Plant Protection Officer, Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe


11.00 am        Coffee break


11.15 am        Nevena Alexandrova, Agricultural Research and Biotechnology Officer, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
                         Climate change and biotechnology response







Programme - continued


11.45 am        Avetik Nersisyan, Crop Production and Plant Protection Officer, Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe
                         Case study of Armenia (presentation of GEF project on climate change impact mitigation project) and Case study of FAO MDG project in Turkey


12.15 pm        Lunch break



13.15 pm        Chaired by Avetik Nersisyan, Crop Production and Plant Protection Officer, SEU
                         Ad hoc parallel working groups convene for discussion and review of prospective activities

Working Group I
Climate change: adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts in crop production

Chaired by Nevena Alexandrova, Agricultural Research and Biotechnology Officer, Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia

Working Group II
Role of research and extension in adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts in crop production


Chaired by Tomasz Lonc, Senior Policy Officer, SEU

Working Group III
Towards sustainable agriculture and rural development; adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts in crop production


14.30 pm        Rapporteurs brief presentation of conclusions and recommendations

18.00 am        Dinner



Wednesday, March 25.


8.30 am         Depart from Hotel Marton by bus


9.00 am         Professor Ernesto Igartua, Aula Dei Experimental Station, CSIC, Spain
                        Agroecological adaptation in barley


10.00 am        Gábor Galiba DSc, Department Head, Department of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
                         Cold acclimation of cereals: Interaction between developmental phase and frost tolerance


11.00 am        Ildikó Karsai PhD, Senior scientist, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
                         Plant developmental patterns and environmental adaptation in barley


12.00 am        Lunch



13.30 pm        Zsófia Bánfalvi DSc, Senior scientist, Plant Physiology Group, Agricultural Biotechnology Center
                         Molecular biology of drought tolerance


14.30 pm        Imre Vass DSc, Director, Biological Research Center of the HAS
                         The effects of UV-B radiation on plants



15.30 pm        Professor Ciro DePace, University of Tuscia, Italy
                         Using alien germplasm to improve resistance to biotic stresses in crop species


18.00 pm        Dinner


Thursday, March 26.


8.30 am          Depart from Hotel Marton by bus


9.00 am         Balázs Barna DSc, Director, Plant Protection Institute of the HAS
                        Mechanisms of plant diseases and disease resistance

10.00 am        Gyula Vida PhD, Senior scientist, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
                         Breeding wheat for biotic stress resistance - a practical approach.

11.00 am        Professor Luigi Cattivelli, CRA- Genomic Research Centre, Italy
                         Genetics and genomics analysis of wheat adaptation to drought conditions.

12.00 am        Lunch


13.00 pm        Practicals

Szalai Gabriella PhD, Department of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Plant stress physiology I. antioxidant enzymes

Tibor Janda DSc, Department of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Plant stress physiology II. photosynthesis

Vilmos Soós PhD, Applied Genomics Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Microarray technology

Gyula Vida PhD, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS


Ildikó Karsai PhD, Senior scientist, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS



18.00 pm        Dinner




Friday, March 27.


8.30 am         Depart from Hotel Marton by bus


9.00 am         Ervin Balázs academician, Deputy Director, Applied Genomics Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
                        Environmental factors in virus disease development

10.00 am       Practicals continued


Gabriella Szalai PhD, Department of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Plant stress physiology I. antioxidant enzymes


Tibor Janda DSc, Department of Genetics and Plant Physiology, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Plant stress physiology II. photosynthesis


Vilmos Soós PhD, Applied Genomics Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Microarray technology


Gyula Vida PhD, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Molecular marker in breeding I.


Ildikó Karsai PhD, Senior scientist, Cereal Resistance Breeding Department, Agricultural Research Institute of the HAS
Molecular marker in breeding II.



13.00 pm        Lunch



14.00 pm        Visit Beethoven Museum



15.00 pm        Depart

For participation request to fill in the application form.

To apply, send the completed application form to www.agrisafe.eu and/or www.mgki.hu, attention Dr. Anikó Gémes Juhász

Application deadline: February 28 2009

Accepted applicants will be informed by email by March 6 2009

The following symposiums and training courses are planned under the Agrisafe EU project over the next three-year period:
III. Impact of Climate Change on Crop Production
IV. Challenge for Plant Breeding and the Biotech Response
V. Genetic Resources for Combating Climate Change
VI. Lessons Learned from the Past: a wrap-up conference on the climate change challenge for agriculture