Dear Valuable Seed Researchers and Sectors,

We hope that this announcement finds you all safe and healthy during the challenging days of the pandemics.

We are very proud to announce that The 7th Seed Congress of Turkey with International Participation (https://tohum2021.igdir.edu.tr) will be held on 15-17 November 2021 and to invite you to our congress. The congress was planned to be held face to face in Igdir with a cooperation of Igdir University and Turkish Seed Union (TÜRKTOB). Because of COVID-19 outbreak, the congress will be held online after consultation and survey by scientific and organizing committee.

As a material of plant production, seed is used as the common name of   name of all plant propagation materials such as seeds, saplings, seedlings, tubers, onions. For that reason, seed is the prerequisite for an efficient and high quality plant production. In recent years, rapid developments in genetics and agricultural technologies have led to significant changes in the seed sector. Today, seed has become not only an agricultural input, but also a strategically important product for sustainable food production, with high economic value, obtained by using technology.

In this regard, while countries that invest more in plant breeding, genetics and seed technologies have become global powers in the field of seed, countries that do not give the necessary importance to these fields have increased their foreign dependency on seeds and the sustainability of food production has come under threat.

After the Seed Law No. 5553 came into force in our country in 2006, there have been important developments in the seed sector, especially in the last decade. With the increase in the support given to domestic seed production, the sector has entered a rapid development process.

At the point we have reached today, Turkey is on the way to become an important actor on a global scale with its annual certified seed production reaching one million tons. The target of our national seed industry in 2023 is to reach an annual production of 1.5 million tons of certified seeds.

As the case we observe in the last two year, the COVID-19 outbreak adversely affected the world and our country in various aspects but the sustainable production of seed should be uninterrupted with its all dimension. In this context, during the outbreak, our country is among the countries that can ensure the continuity of the food chain due to the variety, quality and high domestic production of seeds.

Along with the congress, the relevant meeting will cover all issues concerning the seed industry such as plant breeding and genetics, the use of biotechnology in seed, seed technologies, and improvement of production processes in seed, certification systems, seed marketing, breeder rights and ethics.

Due to potential international participation, we will have the chance to follow the studies not only in our country but also in different countries. During the congress, panels will be organized with the participation of subject experts and sector representatives on the problems of the sector and their solution proposals. Also, invited papers will be presented by national and international experts on the main topics.

It is among the priorities of our congress that the private sector can promote their work. Thus, we aim that the congress will be a platform that will provide opportunities for the establishment of university-private sector collaborations, where the problems of the real sector and solution proposals are discussed, scientific studies are shared with the private sector as well as the academic community, rather than an event where only academicians present their scientific studies.

Despite the sadness of not being able to host you valuable participants due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Igdir, which is bordered by three countries and is the only province in our country in this area, you have no doubt that we will show the unique warm and friendly nature of our Igdir in our online congress.
We kindly invite you to meet at our congress on 15-17 November with international participation under a joint collaboration umbrella of Igdir University and Turkish Seed Union (TÜRKTOB).

We are looking forward to seeing your participation to our congress
Yours sincerely
Dr. Eren ÖZDEN
Chairman of the Organizing Committee