Seed production in the northern light. Proceedings of the Sixth International Herbage Seed Conference, Gjennestad, Norway, 18 - 20 June 2007

Abstract

Since the formation of the International Herbage Seed Group (IHSG, formerly IHSPRG) in 1978, International Herbage Seed Conferences have been organized, mostly at four year intervals. The Sixth Conference was held at Gjennestad Horticultural College in Vestfold, Norway, from 18 to 20 June 2007. As for other IHSG activities, the objective of the conference was ‘to encourage cooperation and communication between workers actively engaged in herbage seed production research’. About 80 delegates from 20 countries attended the conference. Four invited and almost sixty voluntary papers were presented, either orally or as posters. The topics were split into the following sessions: 1. Opening session with overview over herbage seed production and seed trade, world wide. 2. Herbage seed for the future: Biodiversity, GMOs and the role of seed yield capacity in herbage breeding programs. 3. Seed production of tropical species and species for stressful environments. 4. Physiological restraints to seed set and seed filling. 5. Establishing the potential for high and pure seed yields. 6. Fertility, plant growth regulators, and plant protection. 7. Statistical methods, seed harvest, and post-harvest issues.