S05 - Session O4 - Keynote: Metaverse and complex systems, pandemic and proxemic space, social and economical inequality, EU Green Deal and sustainability, intellectual property, biodiversity and benefit of the society. Can ornamental plants breeders stil

Authors: Andrea Mansuino *

The world is going through complicated (digital revolution, EU Green Deal,…) and unexpected scenarios (Covid, war,…) whose influence reaches any human activities including the ornamentals industry. The plant world is however fundamental for human beings, for its indispensable functions providing «habitat» for living beings, «clean» atmosphere, soil quality and dynamic stability, food and feed, natural medicine and chemicals, wellbeing, happiness and ornamental value. In a changing world, breeding has also changed. Breeding plants is today a complicated exercise in which the traditional medium-long term targets are defied by continuously changing scenarios that now require prompt reactions and short term strategies. The use of advanced breeding technologies, already consolidated over decades in agriculture and vegetable crops, is now an opportunity in ornamentals, too. However, in such a dynamic and diversified landscape, very often “green finger and passion” produce more innovative outcomes than technologies and huge investments. The ornamentals market is very diversified at global level and have been subject to extreme fluctuations due to the Pandemic, and the main outcome is that an impressive growth has been experienced in the field of ornamentals. Due to the many changes in the society and in the global scenarios, the breeding targets have also changed. Plant breeders every day make efforts to obtain plants with lower disease sensitivity, reduced water consumption, looking nicer for the benefit of the entire human kind,… Finally, intellectual property plays a fundamental role in the flower industry. IP has been conceived to acknowledge and compensate intangible creations of human intellect so that innovation is stimulated. IP in plants (Plant Breeders’ Rights) makes innovation possible for the benefit of the society.