Review Of The 18th International Sunflower Conference: Mar Del Plata & Balcarce (Argentina), 2012

The 18th International Sunflower Conference took place in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in February, 2012. The key-points and evolutions of sunflower research were presented, in the fields of agronomy, physiology, genetics and genomics, crop protection, quality and markets. Major evolutions can be observed concerning the sequencing of sunflower genome, announced to be complete by the end of 2012, but also concerning the use of models and the progress in the studies on the interactions between varieties genetic pattern, environment and crop management practices. In crop protection aspects, the evolutions of the major pathogens, downy mildew and Orobanche cumana, have been discussed, as well as the breeding efforts for genetic resistances, or the advances concerning the herbicides tolerant varieties. Evolutions in oil quality aspects have been exposed too, such as varieties enriched in stearic acid, or tocopherols, or with low contents in saturated fatty acids.