Chronica - Acta Horticulturae

Rod Drew tasting Brazilian fruits.
Rod Drew (representative of ISHS), Osvaldo
Kiyoshi Yamanishi (convener of 3rd ISTSF)
and Roedhy Poerwanto (convener of 4th
ISTSF, Indonesia, 2008).
Group of participants at the closing ceremony.
ty of tropical and subtropical fruits, and alleviation
of low temperature injury in tropical and
subtropical fruits.
Last, but not least, several conferences on Food
Safety & Traceability, describing safety related
issues for the production, packing, and distribution
of fresh fruits in the USA and traceability
for fruits in nature and industrialized. Followed
by matters on Economics and Market, showing
Brazil at the center of the worldwide fruit market,
economics and market and “A brand, a
quality, a market”.
A distinctive action of the 3rd ISTSF was the
opportunity to promote six workshops, during
late afternoons and early nights. Despite the
fact of such unusual schedule, the attendance
to the workshops on Tuesday and Thursday was
surprisingly high. Fresh Fruits and the
Prevention of Degenerative Diseases: Fresh
fruits have a key role in the diet of people in tropical
regions, not only for the flavor and attractiveness,
or for being sources of nutrients like
vitamins and minerals. There is a great interest
in their properties related to disease control,
especially the prevention of degenerative diseases
like cancer and brain aging. The chemopreventive
action has been mainly attributed to
phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins
and flavonoids. The Workshop discussed the
antioxidant properties of fruits, from the point
of view of fruit composition, action, and human
nutrition aspects. Particle Film Technology:
The purpose of this workshop was to address
and explore the effects of particle film technology,
on tree canopy microclimate and physiology,
yield and fruit quality, and pest and disease
management under various environmental conditions.
It was also examined how this technology
integrates into existing conventional, IPM
strategies, and organic production systems.
Tropical Fruit Breeding: Where we are now,
and where we are going: This workshop provided
a broad overview on tropical fruit breeding
program goals, recent developments in
selection methodology, and a discussion on
how breeding programs and their many cooperators
envision the future of variety/hybrid
development. Challenges of Irradiated
Fruits: In this workshop it was discussed how
irradiation technology helps to eliminate the
threat of harmful microorganisms, making food
safer for consumption, remembering that
today, improved food safety is everyone’s concern.
New Potential Fruit Crops: Constraints
and Research: This workshop dealt with native
fruits from Asian and American centers of origin
and their potentialities to be explored commercially
as well as their agronomic and botanical
characteristics, breeding programs in course,
and research and marketing needed to shift
from an unknown exotic fruit to a well accepted
fruit worldwide. Bio-regulators in Fruit
Production: Present and Future Perspectives:
This workshop showed the recent advances
and future trends in the use of PGRs in fruit
production in Brazil.
The symposium closed with three technical
tours on 17 September, visiting experimental
fields of the Brazilian Agriculture Research
Corporation (Embrapa) at the Tropical Agroindustry
unit, fruit processing companies and
commercial orchards of tropical and exotic fruits
located in the agrobelt project in the neighborhoods
of Fortaleza. The agrobelt project, which
established a real production oasis in the remote
northeast, makes several sustainable crops
viable in the state. Six fruits were strategically
given priority: banana, melon, table grape,
mango, papaya, and pineapple. The potential
of the international market, the production
capacity, and the quality of these fruits were the
determining factors in the selection of these
crops. Ceará Ports was another place visited at
the Pecém complex. Pecém is in the neighborhood
of Fortaleza (60 km). Due to its efficient
logistics, strategic position and excellent infrastructure
the port has become the main exit for
Brazilian tropical fruits such as melon, banana,
mango and papaya.
Besides the extensive program of the 3rd ISTSF,
two other activities were achieved: the 11th
International Fruit, Flower and Agroindustry
Week (11th FRUTAL), an institutional, commercial
and technical exhibition. The Frutal Institute,
an important organization for fruit agribusiness
in the Brazilian Northeast, promoted the event,
featuring 350 booths spread out over
15,000 m 2 and exhibiting supplies, machines
and equipment as well as services for the entire
irrigated horticulture industry. The First
International Seminar on Lychee in Brazil took
place in the following week, at Limeira, São
Paulo State.
At the business meeting that took place on the
third day of the symposium, Dr. Roedhy
Poerwanto from Indonesia accepted the task to
take over the next Symposium. The Fourth
International Symposium on Tropical and
Subtropical Fruits will be held in Indonesia in
2008.
Osvaldo K. Yamanishi and Celso V. Pommer
CONTACT
Osvaldo Kiyoshi Yamanishi and Celso Valdevino
Pommer, UnB/FAV/Fruticultura, Caixa Postal
04508, 70910-970 Brasília-DF, Brazil, email: kiyoshi@unb.br
and pommer@unb.br
ISHS • 40