On October 25, 2015, the 11th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology was held in Iguazu, Brazil. The 5-day congress took the host three years to prepare for, receiving more than 1000 experts, scholars and representatives from the whole world. Thirteen teachers and students of the College of Life Science and Technology as well as the College of Horticulture and Forestry in HZAU attended the congress. On the 10th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology in 2012, academician Zhang Qifa in HZAU was made President Elect of this congress.
On the afternoon of October 24th (local time), the host chaired the opening ceremony to welcome the participants. At the opening ceremony, academician Zhang Qifa, as president of the congress, gave an hour-long opening report on Resolution of Reproductive Isolation with Rice as the Model, introducing a series of research results of rice hybrid infertility and reproductive isolation in the latest 20 years, and discussing its significance in rice hybrid breeding as well as his understanding on the reproductive isolation of other species. Professor Magnus Nordborg of Mendelian Institute of Molecular Plant Biology gave a report on the Genetic Basis of Adaptability.
During the following 5 days, some famous professors gave Invited Lectures, including professor Jim Haseloff from the University of Cambridge, professor Jorge Casal from Argentina IFEVA - CONICET Institute, professor Joseph Ecker from the American Salk Institute for Biological Studies, professor Elizabeth Fontes from Institute of Molecular Biology in Brazil , professor Pyung Ok Lim from Basic Science Research Institute of Plant Age and Aging in South Korea, professor Luis Estrella Herrera from Plant Physiology and Metabolic Engineering Research Center in Mexico, professor Siobhan Brady from University of California-Davis, professor Alison Smith from John Innes Research Center in Britain, and professor Cyril Zipfel from East Anglia University. In addition, 130 experts gave reports on subjects like molecular breeding technology and synthetic biology at branch meetings. Professor Roger from the College of Life Science and Technology in HZAU gave an invited lecture on Analysis of Metabolic Mechanism of Main Crops from the Angle of Genetics and Biochemistry at the branch meeting.
The congress also showed 877 wall newspapers which centered upon biological and abiotic interactions, cell signal transduction and other issues. Participants from HZAU also participate in the display of some wall newspapers on several subjects.
（By Wang JingJing）
http://news.hzau.edu.cn/2015/1107/43813.shtml
