IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
Dear colleagues, On behalf of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and FAO-ICARDA International Technical Cooperation Network on Cactus, for the University of Chile it is a pleasure to invite you to attend the IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL “CAM crops for a hotter and drier world” and the General Meeting of the FAO-ICARDA International Cooperation Network on Cactus Pear and cochineal (CACTUSNET), which will be held in Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017.
The University of Chile, with Dr. Fusa Sudzuki as convener, organized the II International Congress on Cactus pear and Cochineal which was hosted in Santiago in 1992. This special opportunity for hosting the IXth congress, allows us to bring back the congress to Chile, one of the few countries worldwide were cactus pear fruits (“tunas”) are commonly consumed and form part of the traditional diet. Many things have changed during these 24 years: Chile has consolidated as one of the world leaders in the fresh fruit export industry and, regarding cacti, new CAM-crops (eg. “Copao” [Eulychnia acida], pitahaya) are being developed; and the use of Opuntias as a source of fodder and energy has grown in the country.
We here propose to share these new developments with the international Cactus community in the beautiful city of Coquimbo, at the southern margin of the driest desert of the world (Atacama) along the Pacific coast and at the feet of the Andes mountain range. The city is surrounded by valley oases which host a third of the Chilean cactus pear growing area. It shall be our pleasure to welcome you back in Chile.
THE CONVENERS
Dr. Nicolas Franck
Centro de Estudios de Zonas Áridas y Depto. de Producción Agrícola. Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas. Universidad de Chile. Santa Rosa 11315, Santiago, Chile.
E-mail: nfranck@uchile.cl
Prof. Dr. Carmen Sáenz
Departamento de Agroindustria y Enología, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas. Universidad de Chile. Santa Rosa 11315, Santiago, Chile.
E-mail: csaenz@uchile.cl
