Macfrut world capital of biotechnology applied to horticulture. The international fruit and vegetable supply chain fair, scheduled at the Rimini Expo Centre (6-8 May 2025), will host for the first time the International Symposium on Biotechnological Tools in Horticulture (Ishs), promoted by the International Society of Horticultural Science (Ishs, a company that promotes research in all sectors of horticultural sciences), in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences of the Polytechnic University of Marche, coordinated by Silvia Sabbadini , Angela Ricci , Luca Capriotti and Bruno Mezzetti .

The event will see the participation of the world's leading experts in the sector for an opportunity for biotechnological plant research to meet the production chain. During the three days, technical and scientific updates on technologies applied to in vitro plant cultures will be presented, for the propagation and creation of new resilient and high-quality varieties.

More specifically, the main themes of the Symposium will focus on the application of biotechnological tools in the fruit and vegetable sector: in vitro cultures, functional genomics studies, the various “omics” for plant genotyping/phenotyping, new precision breeding technologies (Genome editing and cisgenesis/intragenesis), up to aspects related to the socio-economic impact, biosafety, and public acceptance of the use of biotechnologies in the fruit and vegetable sector.

The coordinators of the Symposium of the Polytechnic University of Marche explain: “Having the opportunity to talk about the best and most up-to-date methodologies in the biotechnology field at an event like Macfrut 2025 represents an important opportunity to communicate the work of different research groups, which together with universities, private bodies and companies are committed daily to studying and understanding the mechanisms and techniques to make fruit and vegetable production increasingly sustainable, safe and less dependent on external inputs. The global challenges that concern production systems, also in response to the impacts of climate change, require generally complex resolution strategies, and the wide range of biotechnological approaches can offer valid solutions, acting on different levels: from the study of single genes to the interactions between different organisms in an ecosystem. The Symposium will therefore be able to act as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration, to promote business opportunities, thus accelerating the research engine and the exchange of ideas between experts in the sector”.

“The common objective of the various scientific contributions that are arriving from all over the world – the coordinators conclude – is to make cultivated plants more 'adaptable' to agents of various kinds, such as lack of water or the attack of pathogens that undermine the quality and quantity of fruit and vegetable production, as well as the knowledge and study of the function and role of genes in some fundamental metabolic processes”.

The International Symposium on Biotechnological Tools in Horticulture program will kick off on Monday, May 5th with a tour of technical field visits to some companies in Emilia Romagna. From Tuesday, May 6th to Thursday, May 8th, the event will move to Macfrut at the Rimini Expo Centre with the various sessions of the Symposium hosted in a dedicated exhibition area. The closing is scheduled for Friday, May 9th at the Biotech school at the Polytechnic University of Marche in Ancona.