The chestnut (Castanea sativa
Mill.) is an important plant species in the Mediterrenean
basin, Balkan Peninsula, and European countries. Its
importance comes from its two basic characteristics. It is
a forest and also a valuable fruit tree. Due to these
characteristics this plant species has been improved.since
ancient times. During the Ionian colonization in the
Aegean and Black Sea Regions chestnut trees were cultured
and some of the selections which were made in this early
historical time spread to colonies in Greece and later to
Italy. Chestnut trees in Europe have probably been a
valuable source of food in mountainous regions.
At this time the chestnut has faces
many important problems. Fungal diseases and chestnut
pests have damaged chestnut groves seriously.
Additionally, management problems are also an important
subject for the sustainability of chestnut groves in
forests.
Due to the importance of the chestnut
tree, international symposia and workshops have been
organized in recent decades. The last one was held in
Portugal, and the next one will be held in China in 2008.
Workshops in between these dates are also considered
useful for researchers to discuss the problems of this
species. So an international workshop for the chestnut
tree will be organized under the auspices of ISHS and
Uludag University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of
Horticulture.
The first announcement will be
available from the web site (
www.chestnut2007turkey.org)
registrations, abstract submissions, hotel bookings and
other arrangements will be accepted on line through this
web site. If you have any further questions or need more
information please do not hesitate to contact us.
We would like to invite all chestnut
researchers to attend this workshop which will be held in
Turkey, which is an important country for chestnut
populations and production, 23-25 October, 2007.
