Press Release 20 April2016

Only 5 weeks left to book your seat at the HORTGRO Science Technical Symposium
2016. This year the theme is:

Increasing Profitability
Throughout the Fruit Value
Chain
This, the most prestigious event on the deciduous fruit calendar will be held at Alle Bleue,
Simondium, from 30 May to 3 June 2016.
This is the first time ever that the Symposium will be a five-day event. In association with
the Deciduous Fruit Development Chamber we kick off on the 30th of May with a focus on
the principles of fruit production. This will be followed by the two main symposium days with
the theme: Increasing profitability throughout the Fruit Value Chain. Exporters and postharvest experts should not miss Day 4 when we investigate the technical affairs of the postharvest world. We end off with a Pome Fruit Field Day in Grabouw, and a Stone Fruit Field
Day at Alle Bleue. (Read more about the different days here: http://www.hortgroscience.co.za/symposium/day-programme/)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

New Entrant Day

Symposium Day 1

Symposium 2

Post-harvest Day

Field Days
Stone & Pome

R342

R1026

R912

R1026

R399

All prices VAT inclusive

At this symposium you will get the latest insights about fruit production, influences and
influencers in the field. Its a world where change is the only constant, and well look into

several contextual aspects, including current challenges such as climate change and the
severe drought in South Africa.
Improving water productivity in irrigated agriculture is on everyones lips. Prof Elias Fereres,
from the University of Cordoba, Spain and researcher at the Institute for Sustainable
Agriculture of the Spanish Research Council at Cordoba, will be talking about whether we
have reached our water productivity limits?
International postharvest plant physiology expert, Dr Michael Reid from UCDavis, University
of California, will be sharing his insights on internal browning and innovative production and
postharvest technologies for horticultural producers in the developing world.

The ever-changing demands of the markets require constant adjustment of the apple offer in
order to guarantee competitiveness. For this reason, new and interesting hybrids from
around the world are evaluated for their suitability of cultivation in South Tyrol. Dr Walter
Guerra, an expert on new cultivars at the Laimburg Research Centre for Agriculture and
Forestry in South Tyrol, Italy, will give one of his talks on Gala Mutations. He has one of the
most comprehensive collections of Gala mutations in the world and will talk to his experience
with the different mutations and to how one goes about selecting the most stable mutation.
UKZN hydrologist Prof Roland Schulze and the ACDIs specialist agriculture, food security
and climate change researcher Prof Stephanie Midgley will also take to the stage.
And lastly we are excited to have local award-winning writer, journalist and film producer,
Max du Preez on stage to share his thoughts on challenges facing agriculture in South
Africa. (Read more about our speakers here: http://www.hortgroscience.co.za/symposium/speaker-bios/)

Find the full programme here: http://www.hortgro-science.co.za/symposium/wpcontent/uploads/2016/03/Symposium-2016-Programme.pdf

And
Register online here: http://www.hortgro-science.co.za/symposium/register/

For more information, please contact the symposium coordinator: Erin Morkel 082 445 8674
PLEASE NOTE: Members of the press that are interested in attending the symposium,
please send an e-mail with your request to erin@hortgro.co.za specifying which days you
would like to attend.