Oct 15, 2018
North American Strawberry Symposium set for February

All members of the international strawberry community are invited to attend the 9th North American Strawberry Symposium (NASS), a meeting of strawberry growers, researchers, and other industry members from around the globe, to be held in conjunction with the annual North American Strawberry Growers Association conference, Feb. 3-6, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. Florida is the U.S. leader in winter strawberry production and features a strong partnership between Florida strawberry producers and the University of Florida.

This partnership is reflective of the purpose of this conference, which brings together growers and scientists worldwide to spur innovation.

The symposium will kick off on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 3) with workshops in the afternoon, followed by a welcome reception “In The Red Zone.”.

“We welcome you to meet and greet strawberry friends while watching the game together on a big-screen TV, or in a quieter setting nearby. We’ll enjoy two days of research presentations, marketing presentations, poster sessions and an award luncheon, followed by a post-conference tour Feb. 6.”

The tour will feature a 600-acre strawberry farm, a robotic harvester demonstration, and field research at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.

“The Program Committee is committed to making this a world-class research symposium for growers and scientists, and we look forward to seeing you in Orlando at the peak of the strawberry season.”

The deadline for submission of presentation titles has been extended to Nov. 1, 2018. Please submit presentation titles (designate oral or poster) to [email protected]. Presentations covering a wide range of topics supporting commercial strawberry are welcome. The program will highlight emerging technologies like precision agriculture, automation, and robotics. Proceedings articles from the presenters are strongly encouraged and will be published in a special issue of the International Journal of Fruit Science.

Workshop topics (Feb 3): Automation and Precision Agriculture, Physiology and Production Management, Sustainable Organic Copping Systems, Strawberry Breeding Tools and Tips, Alternatives to Fumigation, Weed Management Approaches, Insect and Mite Management, Disease Management: From Nursery to Fruit Production Fields.

Registration: On-line registration or mail-in form, and more program details (abstract deadlines, keynote speakers, etc.) and opportunities for industry, organization and agency sponsorship on the NASGA website: http://www.nasga.org/.

Please spread the word to fellow researchers and strawberry growers.

Program committee: Kim Lewers, (Chair), Research Geneticist, USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, [email protected]

Kevin Schooley, NASGA Executive Director, Kemptville, Ontario, Canada, [email protected]

Pam Fisher, Fisher Berry Crop Consulting, Ontario, Canada, [email protected]

Tom Heeman, Heeman’s Strawberries, Thorndale, Ontario, Canada [email protected]

Kenneth Parker, Executive Director, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, [email protected]

Natalia Peres, Plant Pathology, University of Florida, [email protected]

Vance Whitaker, Strawberry Breeding, University of Florida, [email protected]

Shinsuke Agehara, Plant Physiology, University of Florida, [email protected]

Jenn Haverstock, Small Fruit Specialist, Perennia, Nova Scotia, CA [email protected]

Amanda McWhirt, Fruit and Vegetable Extension Specialist, University of Arkansas, [email protected]

Nathan Boyd, Weed Science, University of Florida, [email protected]

Justin Renkema, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, [email protected]

Amr Abd-Elrahman, Geomatics, University of Florida, [email protected]

Margherita Zavatta, Environmental Studies Department, University of California Santa Cruz, [email protected]

Alia DeLong, Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, [email protected]




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