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 Main subject - july/aug 2007
Join event by ABRATES and ISTA successful as expected
A few years back the Brazilian government, through its Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supplies (MAPA), took the initiative of inviting ISTA to hold the 2007 Congress in Brazil. Once the invitation was accepted, the Brazilian Association for Seed Technology (ABRATES) was appointed to promote and organize the event.
Since the joint event coincided with the current edition of the ABRATES Congress, held every two years, it was convenient that it would take place as 'XV Brazilian Seed Congress and 28th ISTA Congress'. This resolution made the chairman of Abrates part of the ISTA Board, as second vice president.
The preparation for both Congresses took almost three full years but it was worth the effort, since it implied bringing to Brazil the best of the seed science and technology worlds, engulfed by the sixteen technical committees of ISTA.
The development of this type of events usually provides the necessary environment for concomitant activities, such as pre congress workshops, which were scheduled to allow the reunion of renowned scientists, professors and agronomists to exchange experiences. Four workshops were held, involving the areas of Variety Identification, Germination and Tetrazolium, Vigor and Seed Analysis and Statistical Challenges, all of them conducted by professors who are members of the different ISTA Technical Committees.
An enterprise the magnitude of this joint event involves many details that only a well organized team can tackle, and the recipe for success is based on the relationship between three main factors, sensible programming, adequate number of participants and sponsorship.
The program schedule was the responsibility of ISTA, who contacted renowned speakers and managed the selection of the 36 presented along the different conferences. The motivational and sponsorship campaigns were the responsibility of ISTA's vice president and Abrates president, together with the teams at UFPel and Abrasem.
It is worth mentioning the support by countries of the Mercosul (the common market agreement between some South American countries), being that Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay had their stands at the showroom, promoting their respective national seed programs while being effective venues for new contacts and information sharing.
The sponsorship was active by more than 25 companies that displayed their products through their stands, while other sponsors displayed their media throughout the Congress premises.
As Professor at UFPel (Federal University of Pelotas), I need to express my gratitude to my colleagues at the University, who had to cover for me in numerous instances. Similar acknowledgement goes to the people at Abrates and Abrasem, who supported my work at the ISTA board turning it a very important personal experience.
I sincerely think that these were fruitful years that gave me the opportunity to contribute to the entity, the region and my country, which is about to have its first seed laboratory accredited by ISTA while others are taking the necessary steps to follow suit. At this point it is worth remembering that Brazil has over 200 seed laboratories, for which the ISTA Seed Testing Rules are the reference standard.
As Abrates chairman, I must say that this association has two main objectives, the Brazilian Seed Journal (Revista Brasileira de Sementes) and the Brazilian Seed Congress, held every two years and acknowledged throughout the local and regional seed business, highlighting its international relevance.
As a reminder of all these events and their significance, I'd like to recall a conversation held with some colleagues from the seed business, during one of the lunch breaks. Upon expressing to them my satisfaction for their participation in the joint event, they swiftly responded that they were the ones grateful to be present and have the chance to be in touch with the top world research on seed science and technology. These are remarks that would be more than welcomed by any organizing committee, regardless of type of event and host country.
The joint initiative and effort by ISTA and Abrates managed to get together over 1000 participants, of which more than 400 came from abroad, representing 59 countries. The volume of the exchange of information and experiences among such an audience is yet another positive outcome for this milestone event.
By Silmar Teichert Peske | peske@ufpel.edu.br
page 2 ->> Join event by ABRATES and ISTA successful as expected
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