ARVALIS – Institut du végétal is organizing the 20th Conference of the European Association for Potato Research (EAPR), in Versailles, France, on July 9-14, 2017.

500 international researchers and technicians are expected to review advances that will allow the development of new solutions for even more sustainable potato production. The conference takes place every three years and is suitable for English-speaking attendees.

EAPR 2017’s scientific committee has just opened the call for papers, which can be submitted until December 2016. Submissions can cover any of the current potato production themes that the EAPR is involved in (i.e., agronomy and physiology, breeding and varietal assessment, post-harvest, pathology and pests, and virology).

However, the committee plans to organize the papers according to the major and strategic orientations listed below, with the motto “potatoes facing global challenges”:

–          Climate change and the impact on crops

–          Producing and breeding potatoes differently

–          Sustainable resource management

–          Population growth and food security

–          Market segmentation and added value

For this 20th EAPR conference, there are eight scientific excursions planned for attendees, giving them the opportunity to discover different aspects of the French potato industry in the country’s major production areas and market sectors. Each destination has been chosen for its scientific or professional interest. Michel Martin, scientist at ARVALIS – Institut du végétal, the arable crop institute in France, is EAPR president for 2014–2017. “We are proud to welcome the excellence of international potato research for this conference, which is being held in France for the third time”, Martin says. “We thank the CNIPT, the GIPT, the GNIS and the FN3PT (organizations of the French potato chain) for the support they bring in preparing this event, which will contribute to the international brilliance of the French potato sector,” he added.