Chronica - Acta Horticulturae

Spain is the world’s leader in the export of both
fresh and processed artichoke, with 35 and
71% of the respective markets. In the last 10
years, there was a decline in production in Italy
and France, and an increase in Algeria, China,
Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Chile, Peru and Spain.
In the opening remarks, Dr. Daniel Leskovar,
ISHS representative, welcomed the symposium
participants. He outlined the scope of ISHS in
international meetings and emphasized in particular
the interest in the creation of a Working
Group on Artichoke.
The first keynote lecture was presented by Prof.
Vito V. Bianco of the University of Bari (Italy). He
emphasized the present and prospects of utilization
of fresh and processed artichoke. He stated
that each part of the artichoke plant is suitable
to be utilized either for human consumption,
animal feed or pharmacological usage.
The entertaining and comprehensive lecture of
Prof. Bianco finished with a discussion on the
future trends of artichoke utilization, which are
related to minimally processed hearts, microwaveable
packaging, extraction of inulin from artichoke
by-products, and production of healthpreserving
artichokes integrated with probiotics.
Dr. Juan I. Macua of ITGA of Navarra (Spain),
the second keynote speaker, discussed the cur-
rent world artichoke production. He distinguished
two groups of countries; one with a
great consumption tradition, located mainly in
the Mediterranean Basin, and another with
emerging production for processing, essentially
China and some South American countries like
Peru. The fast crop introduction in the second
group is attributed to the use of new cultivars
obtained by seed.
Prof. José Vicente Maroto of the Technical
University of Valencia (Spain) addressed the
artichoke production in relation to gibberellic
acid applications. After an extensive review of
the literature in this topic, he stated that the
use of GA applications is more important in
seed-propagated cultivars that are considered
late-producing, but always bearing in mind that
the plant responses to GA are not only dependent
on cultivar, but also on the GA concentration
and timing of application.
Prof. Antonio Elia of the University of Foggia
(Italy) presented the mineral nutrition for the
artichoke crop. He indicated that fertilization
plays an essential role in the quality and yield of
artichoke. He outlined an array of fertilization
recommendations based on soil fertility, cultivar,
cultivation techniques and climatic conditions.
He also addressed the role of P and N in
the improvement of bud number and size, and
the role of K in crop earliness.
Participants in the artichoke farm of Bartolomé Abellaneda, Frutas y Verduras de Lorca S.L.
Artichoke processing in the Sociedad
Agraria de Transformación “El Salar”, Lorca.
Phytopathological and entomological problems
of artichoke in the Mediterranean area were
discussed by Dr. Alfredo Lacasa of IMIDA,
Región of Murcia (Spain). Dr. Lacasa described
general and specific pests with emphasis on
soil-borne diseases such as verticillium wilt,
insect population dynamics, and virus vectors
such as Frankliniella occidentalis.
Finally, Prof. Francisco Artés of the Technical
University of Cartagena addressed the challenges
and advances in storage and minimal processing
of artichoke heads. He emphasized that
artichoke is a very perishable commodity due to
its high respiratory activity and susceptibility to
weight loss, decay and other damages. He
recommended optimum conditions for main
artichoke cultivars using both conventional and
modified atmosphere to reduce postharvest
disorders, obtain a high quality product and to
extend the shelf-life.
At the business meeting Dr. Bazinet accepted
the task to host the next symposium in Brittany,
France, in 2009. We do not want to finish this
report without thanking everybody who collaborated
in making this Symposium a success.
Juan A. Fernández and Daniel I. Leskovar
CONTACT
Dr. Juan A. Fernández, Dept. Producción Vegetal,
Technical University of Cartagena, Paseo
Alfonso XIII, 30203, Cartagena, Spain, email:
juan.fernandez@upct.es
Dr. Daniel I. Leskovar, Vegetable Physiology -
Horticulture, Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station, Texas A&M University, 1619 Garner
Field Rd. Uvalde, TX 78801, USA, email: d-leskovar@tamu.edu
ISHS • 38