HORTICULTURE
Chairs: Toni Granell-CSIC, ES, Giovanna Frugis -CNR , IT, & Monique van Wordragen-WUR, NL
Activities:
Input on horticulture to research programmes; Developing a white paper on “Importance of Horticultural Research”; Discussing concepts for links in horticultural research beyond Europe; Preparing a workshop on the “Importance of Horticultural Research – Potential Interaction and Support”; Contacting horticultural industry for involvement in the Technology Platform ‘Plants for the Future’.
Background:
Horticultural products (from fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants) play a major role in modern society and economy as important components of traditional food, and are central to healthy diets of modern urban population. In addition, ornamental plants have high cultural values for Europeans, and urban greening is considered an important part of city quality of life.
Horticultural products have a large share in agricultural production values in all European countries and horticulture is an important employment sector in rural areas, often with a major share of the staff with less formal education.
Horticultural production is diverse and very innovative in land use, but most annual crops are not receiving EU-subsidies. Horticultural plants have been neglected both in biological and in applied research, and horticultural research across Europe is fragmented. The European horticultural industry, mainly small and medium enterprises, would highly benefit from coordinated research.
EPSO has established this working group to discuss options to boost research in this area, contributing to even more innovation in this sector.
Meetings:
2nd EPSO Workshop “Horticulture for the Future” was held on 16-17 October 2018 in Grossbeeren, DE
The aim of this workshop was to update participants on current developments and initiatives of the European Commission in the field of Horticulture, and to discuss urgent issues in horticultural research with academia, industry and practice along the whole value chain. The main outcome of this meeting will be a revised up-to-date-version of the White Paper aiming to provide advice to the European Commission.
EPSO news developed by this WG:
Relevant news from other sources:
Members:
Erik Alexandersson – SLU, SE
Jaap Bakker – WUR, NL
Elisa Bellucci – UNIVPM, IT
Teodoro Cardi – Univ. Naples, IT
Jorge Canhoto – Univ. Coimbra, PT
Mathilde Causse – INRAE, FR
Sandra Correia – Univ. Coimbra, PT
Anja Dieleman – Wageningen University , NL
Giovanna Frugis -CNR, IT
Toni Granell – CSIC, ES
Jose María Giménez-Gómez – CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC), ES
Tuuli Haikonen – LUKE, FI
Rob Hancock – James Hutton, UK
Silke Hemming – WUR, NL
Timo Hytonen – Univ. Helsinki, FI
Katrin Kahlen – Univ. HS Geisenheim, DE
Marina Korn – IGZ, DE
Oliver Körner, IGZ, DE
François Laurens – INRAE, FR
Karin Metzlaff – EPSO
Georgia Ntatsi – Univ. Agriculture Athens, GR
Reto Neuweiler – Agroscope, CH
Carl-Otto Ottosen – Univ. Aarhus, DK
Brigitte Poppenberger – TUM, DE
Juan Carlos del Pozo – CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC), ES
Simone Röhlen-Schmittgen – Univ. Geisenheim, DE
Uli Schurr – Phytosphere Julich, DE
Monique van Wordragen – WUR, NL
Giannina Vizzotto – Univ. Studi di Udine, IT
Observers:
Dany Bylemans – PCFruit, BE
Eckhard George – Univ. Humboldt, DE
Bruno Gobin – PCS, PCG, BE
Peter Lootens – ILVO,BE
Sylvia Martinez, Univ Basel, CH
Heike Mikschofsky – Univ. Rostck, DE
Frank Millenaar – BASF, NL
Soren K. Rasmussen – Univ. Copenhagen, DK
Emma Timewell – Plant Food Research, NZ
Alexander Vainstein – Univ. Hebrew Jerusalem, IL
Jose Vogelezang – Topsectortu, NL