GWPDR 2014 - The International Symposium on Grape and wine production in diverse regions

The International Symposium on 'Grape and wine production in diverse regions' will be held in Brisbane, Australia in 2014 as part of the International Horticultural Congress (IHC2014). The symposium will be a two day programme with invited speakers, oral presentations and a poster session.
In recent years world-wide grape and wine production have increased rapidly, almost explosively. Contributing to this impressive growth has been the expansion of commercial grape and wine production into areas of the world hitherto considered untenable for such production.
This symposium will address the many factors involved in the expansion of the industry into such previously unlikely locations for grape and wine production as the UK, Denmark, Midwest USA, Northern New York, Thailand, India, China and many others. Among these factors are the emergence of new cultivars and improved viticultural practices and the symposium will feature a discussion of the question of the influence of climate change. A major focus will be on the many challenges to grape and wine production in climate extremes, including heat, cold, humidity and other abiotic and biotic stresses and how those challenges are being addressed.
Convenors
Dr. Paul Read is Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture at the University of Nebraska, USA. His current research thrusts are in tissue culture for horticulture crop improvement and on vineyard management issues in support of Nebraska's developing grape and wine industry. He has served horticulture in a variety of leadership roles, including President of the American Society for Horticulture Science (ASHS), President of the Plant Growth Regulator Society of America and President of the American Chestnut Foundation. He is a Fellow of ASHS.
Dr. Giuliano Elias Pereira is a researcher of the Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation (Embrapa) since 2005, working and developing projects on viticulture and enology domains of the tropical semi-arid region in the Northeast of Brazil. He is based in Petrolina in the state of Pernambuco.
Keynote Speakers
Dennis Gray is a Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Florida/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC), where he conducts biotechnology research designed to facilitate crop improvement. Dr. Gray founded and directs the Grape Biotechnology Research Laboratory. The laboratory has become a world leader in genetic engineering of grape. He has developed a number of key cellular and molecular technologies required to genetically engineer grape and other crops for disease resistance and growth enhancement. Seven US patents and approximately 40 related foreign patents have issued, with several in process. These comprise approximately 50% of US patents in grape biotechnology. Selected publications and presentations describing the research being conducted can be accessed at http://www.mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/grapes/genetics. Dr. Gray is the Editor in Chief of 'Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences', a refereed journal with an impact factor that ranges from 4.2 to over 7.2 among plant-related journals. He will present a keynote presentation entitled 'The Promise of Genetically-improved Cisgenic/Intragenic Grapevine'.
Giuliano Elias Pereira has been a researcher and project co-ordinator in Enology at the Brazilian Agriculture Research Corporation (Embrapa), working on tropical semi-arid vitiviniculture and enology in Petrolina, Pernambuco Estate, Brazil since 2005 shortly after completing a D.Sc. in Viticulture and Enology at University Victor Ségalen Bordeaux 2, France.. He has also lectured on tropical viticulture at international meetings in Brazil, Italy, France and Thailand. He will be the keynote speaker at the session on tropical viticulture.
Tim Martinson has served as extension educator and Senior Extension Associate in viticulture with Cornell University since 1997. He leads the Statewide Viticulture Extension Program which works closely with faculty, regional extension educators, and industry groups to provide growers and wineries with educational programs, workshops, newsletters and applied research supporting profitable production of grapes, grape products, and wine. Tim has been director of the multistate, USDA-supported Northern Grapes Project since 2011.
Scientific Committee
Paul Read (USA)
Giuliano Elias Pereira (Brazil)
John Possingham (Australia)
Richard Smart (Australia)
Mandy Walker (Australia)
Dennis Gray (USA)
Umberto Camargo (Brazil)
Jorge Tonietto (Brazil)
Alain Carbonneau (France)
Ben-Ami Bravdo (Israel)