In 1980, a conference on tissue culture of fruit crops was held at
Beltsville to summarize the current status of this technology and to
stimulate interest in it among research scientists, students, and
commercial producers in the U. S. Interest in that conference and the
proceedings from it far exceeded the expectations of the organizing
committee. Since that time, micropropagation of fruit crops in the U. S.
has increased significantly, but still lags far behind applications to
production of ornamental plants. Within the past two years, a number of
new laboratories have been established and some of the existing
laboratories have expanded to a size far larger than any previously
anticipated. Creation of new laboratories capable of producing more than
400,000 plants per week will test the ingenuity of laboratory managers
and the skills of marketing departments. In recent years, numerous
symposia have been held on various aspects of biotechnology and genetic
engineering. Although micro propagation is the key to providing large
numbers of genetically engineered plants, it is a topic that has been
relegated to a minor position, or ignored completely, at such meetings.
Accordingly, the time seemed propitious for a conference devoted solely
to all aspects of micropropagation as applicable to horticultural crops.