Report of a ECPGR Working Group on Umbellifer Crops
Résumé
Dr Gunter Schumann, Head of the Institute for Breeding Research on Horticultural and Fruit Crops, part of the Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), welcomed the Working Group on Umbellifer Crops of the European Cooperative Programme on Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) to Quedlinburg. The area is a traditional centre of plant breeding, being located on the northern side of the Harz Mountains, where climatic conditions are ideal for the activity (400 mm of precipitation p.a., long and relatively dry spells in autumn). The long tradition is now continued by the JKI. Its core activity is to advise the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection on crop-related issues, such as genetic engineering, plant protection, chemical use and others. The first meeting of the Umbellifer Crops Working Group (WG) was jointly held with the second workshop1 of the project on "Assessment of unique material in the European collections of umbellifer crops" funded by A European Genebank Integrated System (AEGIS). Emmanuel Geoffriau, Chair of the Working Group, opened the meeting, after a minute of silence dedicated to the memory of the father of Thomas Nothnagel.