Third European Conference on Grain Legumes

The Third European Conference on Grain Legumes will take place in Valladolid, Spain, on 14-19 November 1998. The conference, organized by the European Association for Grain Legume Research (AEP), will focus on "Opportunities for high quality, healthy and added-value crops to meet European demands".

This third AEP conference will provide participants with the opportunity to take stock of the latest developments in all areas relating to grain legumes science, production and utilization. The combination of plenary and workshop sessions will allow interactions between scientific specialists targeting constraints in different sectors.

The notion of health is proposed as an overall guideline for all areas, including feed, food or crop production. The specific challenges and opportunities of the Southern European and Mediterranean region will also be considered.

Topics on the agenda will include:

- Plenary sessions:
. Grain Legumes in animal nutrition;
. Grain legumes and environmental protection;
. Grain legumes in human nutrition;
. Grain legumes and biotic stresses;
. Grain legumes in non-food uses;
. Seed quality;

- Workshops:
. N2 fixation in Mediterranean environments;
. Comparative genetics (and genetic maps) of legumes, markers and patterns of diversity in legumes;
. ANCs: hydrolase inhibitors and allergenic components, plant defence and nutritional quality;
. Neglected grain legumes with potential for Europe;
. Grain legumes in the Mediterranean diet;
. Germinated legumes in human diets;
. Plant biodiversity and use in disease resistance;
. Orobanche and other parasitic weeds;
. Specific concerns of soil borne diseases;
. Fibres: their different functions and their effects in the uses;
. Wide crosses in food legumes;
. Abiotic stresses;
. Economic constraints for grain legume production and utilization in Europe;
. Requirements for structure and properties of starch and protein isolates according to the use;
. Seed quality;
. Pest resistance.

Proposals for scientific presentations on these and related topics are presently being invited. Papers should be submitted by 15 October 1997 at the latest.
For further information, please contact:

AEP Conference 1998
12 Av George V
F-75008 Paris
Tel. +33-1-40694909; Fax +33-1-47235872
E-mail: aep@internext.fr