Early Registration deadline approaches

Please pass the word to your nursery collegues to take advantage of the early bird registration by March 31, 2011 for the 9th ISCN Congress. When you are in the registration area of the 9th Congress web site, you must make sure there is information in every box. The phone number box needs area code in one box and the number in another box. If you don't do this and error will appear in Spanish. Mine was not initially accepted, but went through on the second try. If you have any problems with getting a response from the Congress organizers, please contact me and I will look into it for you.

Roger Smith
rsmith@griffithfarms.com
ISCN Sec-Treas.

Congress Dates Clarified

There has been some confusion on the dates for the 9th ISCN Congress and the pre and post tours. THE FINAL DATES ARE:

Precongress tour: URUGUAY ( June 9 to 11). Arriving Montevideo on June 8.
Congress: Tucuman, Argentina (June 13 to 16).
Postcongress Touring: Argentina (June 17-18)
Postcongress Tour: CHILE (June 19- 20-21). Leaving Chile on June 22
You can check the Congress web page at: www.iscn2011.com.ar/program.asp

Flights should be arranged accordingly.

Call for Abstracts for 9th ISCN Congress

Call For Abstracts

Instructions
All abstracts must be submitted in English. Abstracts for all presentations, both oral and posters, must be received by March 31, 2011. Email your abstract as an attached file.
Abstracts should be informative. Those suggesting that the work is not yet complete will be rejected.
Improperly submitted abstracts will be returned to the authors for corrections or rejected.
The abstracts must contain all of the information listed below. Email abstracts to ISCN2011@gmail.com . When you email your abstract, include the following information in the body of the email:
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
ZIP/Postal Code:
Country:
Email:

Please refer in the Abstract form if you wish to submit an oral or poster presentation.

To prepare abstracts for submission:
1. Use only Times New Roman font with 12 pt. font size.
2. Paper size: A4 (210mm x 297 mm)
3. Use only left justification – 2.5 cm margins
4. Do not center text on page.
5. Type Title in Bold, Author (s) (underline the presenting author), affiliation (s), including location, city, state and country. Skip a line, then begin the body of the abstract. Do not indent the first line of the abstract. Use italics to indicate latin names of genus and species. Limit the abstract to less than 275 words.
6. Microsoft Word (Office 2003).

Abstracts will appear in their original form and should be submitted camera-ready. They will be reproduced in the abstract book in their original form.

Example
GENERAL INTRODUCTION ON CITRUS VARIETIES AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS IN ARGENTINA AND OTHER SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES

C. M. Anderson

Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia, INTA, CC 34, E3200AQK Concordia, Entre Ríos, Argentina, Email: canderson@correo.inta.gov.ar

The American Continent accounts for nearly 45 percent of world citrus production and 84 percent of world trade of fresh and processed citrus. The variety composition of the citrus industry of Argentina and other South American countries has shifted in recent years because of changing demands in both overseas and domestic markets. Most popular varieties depending on the country are Lisboa and Eureka lemons, late ripening oranges such as Valencia, Pera, Midknight and Delta; Salustiana and other midseason; Navelina, Lane late and other navel oranges; Satsuma, Nova, Murcott, and Clementine mandarins and a few grapefruits. Nowadays, citrus growers are demanding new patented varieties. The majority of South American countries have a certified citrus nursery tree program to guarantee the use of high quality propagation material to provide there citrus industry, but the level of implementation and success is variable. Huanglongbing has arrived to the continent is rapidly spreading and threats the citrus industry of several American countries changing the way to grow nursery trees, safely.

Key words: propagation material, varieties, certified citrus nursery tree program.

Posters
Size: 90 cm wide x 110 cm high.
Title, author (s) and affiliations should appear on the top of the poster. The height of the title should be at least 2 cm. The authors’ names and affiliations may be somewhat smaller.
Content. Primarily use tables and figures and limit verbiage. Do not prepare a poster as if it were a manuscript. Lettering for text and illustrations should range in size between 6 mm and 12 mm.
Mounting the poster. Space will be provided for each poster. Organizers will supply the necessary elements for mounting posters.
In the abstract submission form, select one of the following topics:
Nursery facilities
New varieties and rootstocks
Nursery and plant propagation
Nursery management
Nursery diseases and pests
Accreditation protocol and certification programs

The Scientific Committee will notify authors if Abstracts were selected for oral and poster presentations. All accepted abstracts will be printed in the Book of Abstracts to be distributed at the Congress to registered participants.

Manuscript Preparation
All papers must be submitted in English, concisely written. Completed manuscripts in final form, including any figures, tables, must be submitted by May 15, 2011. Email to ISCN2011@gmail.com . ISCN Scientific Committee reserves the right to reject papers or to publish them as abstracts only.
1. Paper size: A4 (210mm x 297 mm)
2. Leave 2.5 cm margins around text.
3. No hyphenated words on line endings.
4. Number all pages upper right corners.
5. Put tables and figures, after Literature Cited.
6. Figure legends should be typed on a separate page.
7. Must include: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusions, Literature Cited.

New ISCN web site

The new ISCN web site is now on-line at www.ISCN.biz . The 9th Congress 2nd announcement will be posted shortly on that web site. Early registration deadline is March 31. Conference will be held at the Catalinas Park Hotel http://www.catalinaspark.com/. The congress web site is www.ISCN2011.com.ar but only has the first announcement up as of today. The second announce ment will be e-mailed to ISCN members today. The 2nd Announcement does not mention prices fo the Congress at this time, but this information should be forthcoming.

FOLLOW THIS BLOG

To keep up-to-date on the ISCN Congress in June 2011, ISCN members and interested parties should register on this blog. Go to the bottom of this page and click on the FOLLOW tab. When you register, the blog will send you an e-mail when something new has been posted.

This blog will periodically carry other interesting information for citrus nurseries as it becomes available. If you have something you would like to post, e-mail it to rsmith@griffithfarms.com and Roger Smith, ISCN Secretary, will post it.

Membership Communication

Utilizing the power of MS Outlook an ISCN member dtatbase has been developed that will allow the executive board to communicate with members. In addition, ISCN would like to add new contacts to this list that may be interested in the functions of the organization. MS Outlook allows us to sort the listing and separate members vs. non-members and will also allow some biographical information to be compiled as it becomes available. If you are reading this blog and would ike to be added to the e-mail distributions, please send an e-mail to rsmith@citrustreesource.com and we will add you to our list. Include Name, Address, Phone numbers, Company name, web site, and any other information you would like to offer ISCN.
It has been a long time coming, but the new ISCN web site is again under construction. We don't have a completion date to offer up, yet, but Andrew Lee is committed to insure it gets done very soon.
Over the next few weeks, an effort will ensue to attain "Country Representatives" for ISCN. These are nurserymen from nations with citrus nurseries that speak English and are willing to disseminate ISCN information to citrus nurserymen in their countries and translated into their nation's language. In this era of e-mail and the internet, it should be easier for ISCN to serve a larger population of citrus nursery people, even if they can't attend a Congress. Establishing "Country Representatives" is an important step in this process. If you would like to volunteer to be a representative, please contact ISCN Secretary, Roger Smith at the above e-mail address.

Chet Roistacher's submission

Dear friend,

These are times of great changes for perhaps all of us but especially for the citrus industries of the world. Huanglongbing (greening disease) now threatens the two largest citrus industries in the world and as its vector Diaphorina citri moves into new areas along with Toxoptera citricida the prime vector of tristeza - new and serious problems will arise.I wish to share with you a new slide show on the history of indexing for citrus. This is more or less a review of my lifes work in this field. I was asked to present this work as an invited lecture at the 8th International Congress of Citrus Nurserymen in October, 2008 in Chongqing, China. I have now converted my Power Point lecture to an EcoPort slide show number 209 and I share this with you. You can access this slide show with the URL below or go into http://www.ecoport.org/ww.ecoport.org/ - Click on pictures, then on slide shows and enter 209. Click on 209 on the far left to bring up this slide show and you can also download this show as a permanent file.What I would appreciate is for you to suggest any errors or updates, or you can send me a picture or two with text for inclusion into this, or any of the various slide shows. These can readily be included into the slide shows as well as any editing you might suggest.Here is the URL for this slide show titled Indexing for Graft-Transmissible Diseases of Citrus: Its History, Importance, Current status and use in Certification Programs. http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=slideshowList&ID=209I also enclose this URL as a direct link to all of my EcoPort slide shows and eArticles: http://ecoport.org/ep?SearchType=domainContents&id=9&type=groupSearchType=domainContents&id=9&type=group



The picture shows the planting of the first citrus tree in the Foundation Block at Lindcove, California in 1961 (yes, it is Chet). This tree was the result of five years of indexing, growth and preparations.






Abstract: Prior to 1945 indexing for the detection of citrus graft transmissible pathogens (CGTPs) was limited or non-existing since virus and virus-like diseases of citrus were poorly understood or little known. The common practice was for growers and nurserymen to select their budwood for propagation from their best and most productive trees. However, in later years it was discovered that even their best trees were often symptomless carriers of one or more dangerous CGTPs. Topworking was, and still is, a common practice which perpetuates the spread of infectious diseases. Following up on the seminal finding by Fawcett (1933) on the virus nature of psorosis, the first registration program for citrus was initiated in California providing growers and nurserymen with psorosis-tested budwood. Between 1937 and 1961, field inspections of mother trees resulted in over 2,400 trees registered as psorosis inspected. The discovery of a seedling index for psorosis by Wallace (1945) was a major breakthrough in citrus virus detection and a new era of discovery of short term biological indexing for citrus pathogens began. Indexing was reduced from years to weeks for the expression of definitive symptoms of diseases. The worldwide tristeza epidemics in the 1930's initiated a conversion to new CTV-tolerant rootstocks to replace the popular and predominant sour orange. However, with indexing, hidden and symptomless viruses and viroids emerged which led to the recognition that most old clone citrus budwood sources were infected with CGTPs. The virus nature of tristeza was proven by Fawcett and Wallace (1947) and a second major breakthrough in indexing occurred with the discovery that seedlings of the small fruited lime could be used as a rapid indicator for tristeza. The destructive nature of this devastating disease was a major factor for bringing scientists together in 1957 for the first conference and the formation of International Organization of Citrus Virologists (IOCV). Scientists throughout the world could now formally meet and communicate and publish their research on indexing. Certification for citrus took on new meaning and possibilities. In the early 1950's, there were very few greenhouse or laboratory methods available for detection of most CGTPs. However, in relatively rapid succession, new technology for indexing and identifying these graft-transmissible pathogens evolved: the Orlando tangelo for cachexia (1952); the lemon and sour orange for seedling yellows (1952); Mexican lime for vein enation (1953); the trifoliate and Rangpur lime field index (1954) and the laboratory color test for exocortis (1957). In the beginning there were four or five major diseases of citrus for which indexing was proposed and needed for a certification program. These were tristeza, psorosis, exocortis, cachexia and stubborn. Indexing was the key for the identification of these diseases. As indexing methods continued to improved, nearly all existing old line source trees were found to be infected with one or more CGTPs. The nucellars which were found to be free of most CGTPs gained dominance. However, there were many problems associated with the nucellar. The subsequent development of thermotherapy (1957-1972) and shoot tip grafting (1975) virtually ended the interest and the need for the nucellar. With new indexing technologies, certification programs were initiated in Texas (1948), Florida (1953) California (1954) and in Arizona (1955). These programs are briefly reviewed. Detailed histories are presented for indexing for psorosis, tristeza, exocortis, cachexia, and stubborn diseases. Diagnosis by field symptoms plus biological and laboratory tests are presented. A brief look at other CGTPs and their indexing procedures are also presented for the oak leaf pattern diseases of blight, concave gum, cristacortis and impietratura and for citrus chlorotic dwarf, citrus variegated chlorosis, gummy bark, infectious variegation, leprosis, satsuma dwarf, tatter leaf, vein enation and witches broom disease of limes. Technology in virus purification, molecular biology and immunology opened a new era for assays such as ELISA, sPAGE and PCR which utilized the sequence specificities of ribosomal spacer regions. These assays are rapid but though they are both costly and labor intensive they are now important components for indexing in certification programs. The current worldwide destruction by huanglongbing (greening disease) has placed new emphasis on the importance of detection of this disease before it becomes epidemic. Older and newer indexing procedures for HLB are reviewed and an important new technology using RT-PCR for showing the presence of the bacteria inside the insect vector is reviewed. This new technology can show the presence of HLB/greening disease one to two years before field symptoms are seen and verified by PCR.