In November, Costa Rica will host the International Conference on Coffee Science ASIC, the world’s largest conference on the crop. It will be held for the first time in Central America, announced the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE).
The scientific meeting of the Association for Science and Information on Coffee (ASIC, for its acronym in English), will be held from November 11 to 16, 2012 and will include the participation of researchers from 30 countries.
The exhibition will cover different topics in genetics, benefited, sustainability, biotechnology, agronomy, pests and agro ecology, among others, all related to coffee, said the deputy minister of agriculture, Xinia Chaves.
The conference will also offer a tour of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), where the Bank of Geoplasma (unmodified genetic material), which is considered the best preserved and conditioning world.
ICAFE executive director, Ronald Peters, said the meeting “is intended as a sharing of knowledge between countries and public and private institutions, seeking to complement efforts primarily in Central America.”
The 2012 edition is the 24th congress since the ASIC was founded in 1966. The event was held for the last time in 2010 in the city of Bali, Indonesia.
An expert from the Breeding Program ICAFE, Fabian Echeverría, explained that in past editions of the activity leading research presented characterization of fungal strains in coffee bean implications on health, diseases and pests in the plant, among others.
Echeverria will also examine techniques in plant breeding in order to achieve resistance to the fungus “Ojo de Gallo”, where Costa Rica leads the research in this area in Central America in order to benefit the region.
Costa Rica coffee has been exported for 200 years, a major benchmark for international matters.
According to the ICAFE, in the Central American country annually produces 1.68 million bags of 60 kilos of grain.
EFE
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
