Presentation
Annie DesRochers
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Welcome to the 6th International Symposium on Root Development: Adventitious, lateral and primary roots, formerly Int. Symposium on Adventitious Root Formation.
In 1993, an international group of scientists and practitioners met in Dallas, Texas, USA for the First International Symposium on Adventitious Root Formation. Oral presentations and posters on all aspects of root formation and development provided a valuable exchange of information to enhance scientific discovery and its beneficial use. While this scientific community is not formally organized, four subsequent meetings took place-in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1996, in Veldhoven, Netherlands, in 2000, in Savannah, Georgia (USA), in 2004 and finally in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (Spain), in 2008. Fruitful discussions during these previous events have convinced us of the relevance of retaliating, why we are honoured to invite you to the Sixth International Symposium on Root Development: Adventitious, Lateral and Primary Roots, which will take place August 7-11th 2011, in Amos, Québec, Canada.
Root development is a fundamental aspect of plant biology with great economic and ecological importance. Although scientists have been studying rooting and root development for many decades, it remains the poor parent of plant biology because of the hidden nature of roots and the difficulties associated with research methodologies. Current research in root development is quite broad, ranging from large-scale field and physiological studies to cellular and genome level studies. The ever-increasing understanding of root development will allow us to implement strategies enhancing the quality and quantity of roots for desired end-uses.
In keeping with the tradition of past meetings, we are striving to organize a diversified program. We seek practitioners and scientists to contribute to a mixture of basic and applied science, and discuss advances and futures directions in root development research with model plant species as well as those with applications in horticulture, agronomy, forestry, and general ecology. The meeting will bring together scientists from applied and fundamental studies on root induction and development of both embryonic and postembryonic root types. We specially encourage volunteer presentations on « Future Directions in Root Research », the Symposium’s general theme.
Amos is located in north western Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Abitibi region, thus named by the Algonquin First Nation and meaning «where the waters separate», because of its location between two water catchment systems. The region, like more southerly regions, has a continental humid climate, but has much higher temperature variations due to its latitude and its proximity to Hudson Bay and the Arctic. August temperatures are usually warm and pleasant, and vegetation has reached its full development. Amos is the only major town along the Harricana river, and its main resources are its spring water, one of the best quality world-wide, and its large boreal forest.
We are looking forward to meeting you in Amos!
Annie DesRochers, Local Organizing Chair
Letters of Invitation
Upon request, the Organizing Committee will send to participants an official letter of invitation to the Symposium. This letter is intended only to help a participant to obtain travel funds or a visa and does not constitute any commitment on the part of the organizers to provide any financial support or to agree to the presentation of a paper. Requests should be addressed to root2011@uqat.ca.
