Call for abstracts
Welcome
We would like to invite you to attend the 11th International Strawberry Symposium and give you a warm welcome. The symposium will take place in Antwerp – the ideal host city for an interesting and fascinating symposium. We want this edition once more to be a platform for networking and information sharing.
Tom Van Delm & Peter Melis, Conveners
This year’s topics
- Breeding and phenotyping
- Strawberry physiology
- Integrated pest and disease management
- Smart farming, AI and robotics
- Fertilisation, soil health and growing media
- Controlled environment and vertical farming
- Innovative cultivation methods
- Circular use of resources
- Sustainable water management
- Fruit quality & nutritional benefits
- Postharvest biology, technology and packaging
Abstract and Acta Horticulturae manuscript
Submission
All abstracts and manuscripts must be submitted through the following ROSA (Responsive Online System for Acta Horticulturae submission and review) link.
* For any questions regarding the submission of abstracts or the scientific programme, please contact the scientific committee by email: strawberrycongress@hoogstraten.eu
Important info
- Only abstracts submitted in English will be reviewed.
- Abstracts must not exceed 300 words.
- Abstracts must not contain tables, pictures or graphs.
- All abbreviations must be spelled out on first use.
- Abstracts should be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammar.
Furthermore:
- An abstract submission charge is due upon submission of an abstract and applies to the presenting author. For ISHS Individual members, the abstract submission charge is fully waived.
Those who do not hold a user account with ISHS yet: create an ISHS user account first at actahort.org/members/newmember?asc=1 . After payment and activation of your user account, you can start your abstract submission. - Abstracts must always be submitted by the presenting author, using their own personal ISHS user account. Submitting an abstract on behalf of, or using the ISHS user account of another author is strictly prohibited.
- Abstracts must be submitted by 15 January 2028 for consideration by the Scientific Committee. Authors will be notified of provisional acceptance of abstracts by 01 April 2028 and will also be notified if the abstract has been selected for an oral or poster presentation.
- All oral presenters, including invited and keynote speakers, must submit a manuscript for Acta Horticulturae according to the Acta Horticulturae guidelines (https://www.ishs.org/authors) by 01 June 2028. (Alternatively, presenters have the option to submit a full scientific manuscript on the topic presented at the symposium, for publication in the ISHS Scientific Journal eJHS in lieu of submitting a manuscript for Acta Horticulturae. Papers submitted in this manner will go through the standard procedures for peer-reviewed journal papers.) Oral presenters who fail to submit a manuscript for publication in Acta Horticulturae or the ISHS Scientific Journal may be refused the floor for making their oral presentation. Authors of posters are strongly encouraged to prepare and submit a manuscript for Acta Horticulturae.
- Presenting authors of abstracts accepted for presentation (both oral/poster) must register for the symposium by 01 June 2028. Failing to register for the symposium will result in your abstract being withdrawn from the symposium program and your manuscript being withdrawn from the Acta Horticulturae symposium proceedings.
- Failing to present (oral/poster) at the symposium will result in your manuscript being withdrawn from the Acta Horticulturae symposium proceedings.
Scientific Committee
Tom Van Delm – Belgium (Chair person)
Peter Melis – Belgium (Vice-chair person)
- Johanna Bac-Molenaar – The Netherlands
- David Bryla – United States of America
- Barbara De Coninck – Belgium
- Lisa Wasko DeVetter – United States of America
- Emmy D’Hooghe – Belgium
- Boris Duralija – Croatia
- Brian Farneti – Italy
- Michelle Fountain – United Kingdom
- Marina Gambardella – Chile
- Timo Hytonen – Finland
- Sachiko Isobe – Japan
- Ebru Kafkas – Türkiye
- Chieri Kubota – United States of America
- Takeshi Kurokura – Japan
- Stef Laurijssen – Belgium
- Zongchi Liu – China
- George Manganaris – Cyprus
- Leo Marcelis – The Netherlands
- Peter Melis – Belgium
- Bruno Mezzetti – Italy
- Vincent Michel – Switzerland
- Natalia Peres – United States of America
- Silvia Sabbadini – Italy
- Anita Sonsteby – Norway
- Johan Stenberg – Sweden
- Tom Van Delm – Belgium
- Vance Whitaker – United States of America
- Xiangming Xu – United Kingdom
ISHS Young Minds Award
During each ISHS Symposium two ISHS Young Minds Awards for junior scientists will be given:
- one award for the best oral presentation given by a junior scientist who is in the same time the presenter and first author of the submitted manuscript
- one award for the best poster presented by a junior scientist who is first author of the work
For more information on how to participate: https://ishs.org/young-minds-award/
For any questions regarding the submission of abstracts or the scientific programme, please contact the scientific committee by email: strawberrycongress@hoogstraten.eu
Become an ISHS Member
Join the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and become part of a global network of more than 70,000 horticultural researchers, educators and industry professionals. ISHS membership offers valuable opportunities for international networking, professional development and access to the latest horticultural research.
Members benefit from discounted registration fees for ISHS symposia, access to Acta Horticulturae articles, publication discounts, participation in Working Groups and Divisions and a range of exclusive member resources.
For membership categories, fees, benefits and to join ISHS, please visit the official ISHS Membership page.
Contact us
Feel free to reach out for any questions about the International Strawberry Symposium.
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