Fascination of Plants Day 2017

3 May 2017

On 18 May will take place the “Fascination of Plants Day 2017”, the initiative launched by EPSO (European Plant Science Organization, www.epsoweb.org; www.plantday.org), an independent academic organization that brings together more than two hundred research institutions, universities and departments in Europe. The purpose of this event, which will involve more than 50 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia, is to improve the visibility of plant research and highlight its importance for the economy and the environment.

Plants, in addition to being the origin of all the food we consume, are an essential source of raw materials and the main component of both the landscapes and aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. For the growing need of a sustainable economy (bioeconomy) in the coming years, agriculture and plants will play a key role for a new way of production, based on the use of renewable sources and ecologically sustainable processes.

The Fascination of Plants Day, now in its fourth edition, is an excellent opportunity to engage the dialogue between researchers and citizens about the main role of plants in our lives and the importance of promoting national and international researches in this area.

For this reason, many scientific institutions, universities and research centers, together with farmers and companies, will open to the public botanical gardens, experimental greenhouses, laboratories and museums to show the beauty of the world of plants and illustrate what is being done to increase the production and quality of plant products not only for food, but also for industrial, pharmaceutical, energy and environmental uses.

Several initiatives will be organized in different Italian cities, including educational exhibitions, guided tours to parks, plant biology workshops for children, competitions for schools, and much more. A complete list and more information about the initiatives that will be held in Italy are available at www.plantday.it

The Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology also this year will be one of the protagonists of this initiative. In Milan, at the Research Area in via A. Corti 12, researchers will carry out several experimental activities addressed to students of secondary school on May 19th and to the general public on May 20th, from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Istituto

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