Proceedings of the V International Symposium on Fig

The V International Symposium on Fig will be held at the Conference Hall of the University of Napoli “Federico II” (Italy) from August 31 to September 3, 2015 under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), organized by the Dipartimento di Agraria, University of Napoli “Federico II” and the Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo, with the patronage of the Regione Campania, of the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni and the Consorzio Fico Essiccato del Cosentino. Fig (Ficus carica L.) is widely planted throughout the Mediterranean region, and is well adapted to drought and high temperatures. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2012) estimates that figs are harvested from 380,000 ha, producing more than one million tonnes per year. Turkey produces about 26% of the world's figs and, when combined with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Iran and Syria, these top six producing countries account for almost 70% of the world's annual production. Historical works provide evidence of the sustained importance and appreciation of figs in the Mediterranean area: the harvesting of figs was represented in the pyramid of Giza, built in the period between 4,000 and 1,500 BC; Pliny the Elder in his Natural History mentioned “One hundred and eleven observations” on the fig. The Fig tree arrived in Italy probably during the Greek-Roman civilization. Since then, its cultivation has spread rapidly in all regions of Southern Italy, particularly in Cilento (Campania region) and in Cosenza (Calabria region), where fig production is protected by two different designation of origin (PDO): “Fico Bianco del Cilento” and “Fichi di Cosenza”. In those areas the industry is still strongly linked to the transformation of dried figs in different local-traditional products, such as “Palloni”, “Iette”, “Corolle”, “Crocette”, processed mainly by local specialized companies. South Italy produces over 1,400 tons of dried figs per year representing the largest share of national product. Taking into account the most recent scientific and technical findings, the main topics to be discussed are: Biodiversity and Genetics Resources; Genomic and Transcription Information; Tree Biology and ecophysiology; The Caprification Symbiosis System; Plant Propagation and Nursery Organization; Planting Systems and Orchard Management; Disease and Pest Control; Fruit Quality and Post-harvest Technologies; Industrial and Pharmacological Usage of Fig; Marketing. The program will include lectures by invited speakers in each of the sessions covered, as well as a diverse selection of oral and poster presentations. A technical tour will be organized in Cilento (Campania), across the area of the Protected Designation Origin “Fico Bianco del Cilento” and the related traditional processing industries. A post Symposium tour (September 4-5) will also be organized in Cosenza province (Calabria) the area of the Protected Designation Origin “Fichi di Cosenza”. Information related to the Symposium will be periodically upgraded on the website: http://www.soishs.org/fig. Selected social events will be scheduled for participants and accompanying persons. English will be the official language of the Symposium. The Symposium Conveners Tiziano Caruso and Boris Basile (Italy) Symposium Secretariat figsymposium2015@soishs.org