Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the new EWRS web site that was launched earlier this year. By following this site and EWRS communication in social media (Facebook, Twitter) our Communication Team aims at keeping you updated with the EWRS activities as well as any interesting issues dealing with weeds all over the world. In case you are not yet a member of EWRS please consider joining us to receive valuable privileges.
The EWRS carefully follows and adjusts the activities of the Society in the current harsh COVID-19 crisis. All Meetings and Workshops planned for the first half of 2020 have now been postponed. Luckily, the EWRS Symposium in Athens will take place from 21st to24th June 2021. The local organizing committee, chaired by Demosthenis Chacalis, is happy to serve you with any information that you might need. Just follow announcements in the EWRS web site as well as in the specific Symposium web site available at www.ewrs2021.org. You are welcome to start preparing your Abstracts which can be uploaded from September onwards.
Although it is to some extent inconsistent with the current epidemic situation among the people in the world, I would like to remind you that the United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) . For instance EFSA has launched a dedicated web site aiming at raising awareness about plant health in Europe and beyond, contributing to the efforts lead by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Moreover, the first International Plant Health Conference is planned to be convened in Helsinki on 5-8 October 2020 on the theme “Protecting Plant Health in a Changing World”. Hosted by the government of Finland, the Conference will be one of the key events of the International Year of Plant Health. Arrangements are naturally adjusted to the COVID-19 situation, so please follow the site for current information.
Here in Finland we are still relaxed with the beginning of the growing season 2020 as it normally starts in early May for spring-sown crops. I hope that the current restrictions related to virus epidemic do not severely interfere with your research programs in the field. Weeds will be there anyway waiting for our experimental operations.
Kind regards and be careful,
Jukka
(8th April 2020)