-Magdalen Lindeberg

Several Cornell faculty affiliated with the School of Integrative Plant Science traveled to Shenzhen China in July for the International Botanical Congress (IBC), the largest international conference in the fields related to plant sciences. IBC is held once every six years in locations that rotate among different countries. Conference sessions encompass a wide range of topics in the plant sciences including mycology, ecology, agriculture, horticulture, and systematics.

Five of the general symposia were led by Cornell faculty:

• Jeff Doyle (Plant Breeding & Genetics, Plant Biology)
  Polyploidy: early effects and their evolutionary implications
• Peter Davies (Plant Biology, Horticulture) and Frank Shotkoski (Plant Breeding & Genetics)
  Genetically-Engineered Crops: Challenges and Potential
• Fay-Wei Li (BTI, Plant Biology)
  Plant genome evolution from the very beginning
• Robert Raguso (Neurobiology & Behavior, Plant Biology)
  Floral chemistry and plant-pollinator diversification
• Li Li (USDA-ARS, Plant Breeding & Genetics)
  Fruit physiology and quality regulation

Christopher Dunn, Executive Director of the Cornell Botanic Gardens, also attended and was elected North American Councillor of the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

A declaration on plant sciences was issued as part of the conference, arising from the recognition that environmental degradation, unsustainable resource use, and biodiversity loss all require integrated, collaborative solutions. Read the complete declaration