European Association for Potato Research and Eucarpia Potato Congress

This Congress entitled "The challenges of improving both quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in potato" is the 17th Joint Meeting of EAPR Breeding and Varietal Assessment Section and EUCARPIA Section Potatoes. It is being held at Hévíz in Hungary from 30 June – 4 July 2013.

Final programme announced

• PDF file: EAPR-Eucarpia Potato Congress programme (320 KB)

Sponsors

Introduction

We live in challenging times; where there is a continuing need to increase the sustainability of potato production, in an environment where biotic and abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly problematic due to factors such as climate change, monoculture and ever more limited chemical control options for disease management.

Improving varietal resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is of key importance to dealing with these challenges.

However, the potato is also a high value crop where the quality of the final product (the tuber) is also subject to improvement. Moreover, improving resistance and quality simultaneously are not trivial objectives. The huge genetic diversity of potato and the fast development of modern techniques increasingly allows us to meet these challenges.

This congress invites researchers to share how their work is contributing to varietal improvement in potato on any level, and where possible, how it is contributing to the challenges outlined in this theme.

Sessions and abstracts

Sessions during the Congress will include:

• Biotic stresses: research and resistance. To include late blight, nematodes, viruses, bacterial pathogens.
• Research and breeding for improved quality traits: includes processing, ACD, acrylamide, nutrients, glycemic index.
• Abiotic stress resistance: including root traits, drought resistance, water use efficiency, P and nitrogen use efficiency.
• Gene banks, new traits, introgression, use of wild species, pre-breeding. Taxonomic relationship studies.
• Genomic studies, association mapping, marker assisted breeding

Speakers

Invited speakers at the Congress include:

• Ewa Zimnoch-Guzowska and Bogdan Flis, Poland
  PVY - a challenge for potato production
• Pim Lindhout, Solynta, Netherlands
  Hybrid breeding in potato
• Zsolt Polgár, Hungary
  Overview the resistance breeding programme of Keszthely
• Zsófia Bánfalvi, Hungary
  Improving drought tolerance of potato

Offered papers include:

• María Fernanda Álvare, Colombia
  Association mapping for late blight resistance in Solanum tuberosum group Andigenum (Solanum phureja)
• Glenn Bryan, United Kingdom
  Association mapping in a large tetraploid potato population
• Klaus J. Dehmer, Germany
  The Gross Luesewitz potato collections – IPK’s genetic resources as source of new and improved traits for potato breeding
• Peter Dolničar, Slovenia
  Development of potato breeding programme in Slovenia, a high virus infection pressure region
• Dan Milbourne, Ireland
  The effect of pyramiding two loci conferring resistance to Globodera pallida Pa2/3 in potato
• Katharina Rudack, Germany
  Physiological traits of starch potato varieties under drought stress
• Aide Tsahkna, Estonia
  Potato breeding for late blight resistance
• Terje Tahtrajv, Estonia
  Potato breeding for late blight resistance
• Friederike Trognitz, Austria
  Marker development for resistance genes by using next generation sequencing technologies

Registration

The registration fees include:

• access to the conference
• delegates pack containing abstracts books
• lunches and refreshments every day of the meeting and
• social programme and the conference dinner.

Fees

Students

The EAPR Council is generously supporting students who are interested in attending to the 17th Joint Meeting of EAPR Breeding and Varietal Assessment Section and EUCARPIA Section Potatoes.

Deadline of application for student grants was 1 April 2013.

The conditions for students to access this funding (for supporting registration and/or accommodation fees) are as follows.

• Students are only eligible for financial support if they present either a paper or a poster at the Section meeting in Hungary.
• Funding recipients are required to write a short report on their contribution to the meeting for the EAPR Newsletter.

The amount of support will be informed to the selected candidates.

• Students should be registered in a recognised MSc/PhD programme or within two years post completing a PhD.

Book your place

To book your place at the congress please download and complete the registration form below and email to Zsolt Polgár or fax to: +36 83 545 104.

• Word file: EAPR-Eucarpia 2013 Congress registration form (25 KB)

Payment

Fees to be transferred to University of Pannonia account number:

10048005-01426696-00000000, Hungarian State Treasury, Address: 8200 Veszprém, Budapesti út 4.

IBAN: HU 55 1004 8005 0142 6696 0000 0000 (Please refer to “EAPR Potato Conference”)

Deadlines

Early bird registration: until 31 March
Late registration: 1 April – 15 May
Abstract submission: 3 March

Accommodation

Information on accommodation in Heviz, Hungary and booking forms for congress accommodation can be found on the accommodation booking page.

Travel

• To Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport by plane
• From the airport to Budapest bus station “Nepliget” by airport shuttle or taxi
• From Budapest Nepliget to Heviz by bus (timetable online here)
• Travelling time 2.5 – 3.5 hours depending on the bus line.
• Train is not recommended.

Organising committees

Local Organising Committee

• Zsolt Polgar (University of Pannonia)
• Janos Taller (University of Pannonia)
• Istvan Cernak (University of Pannonia)
• Istvan Wolf (University of Pannonia)

Scientific Committee

• Herman van Eck
• Domenico Carputo
• Jari Valkonen
• Richard Visser
• Zsofia Banfalvi
• Dan Milbourne
• Zsolt Polgar
• Finlay Dale