Bulletin Autumn 1977

processes using micro-organisms, and consequently, the quality of mushroom strain and culture purity are guaranteed. The cultivation of Agaricus bisporus in Europe and North America is a lucrative industry; in Japan, Lentinus edodes predominates and in Asia, the common choice is Volvariella volvacea. It is only recently that doubts regarding the guarantee of mushroom edibility have been dispelled, the nature of the starting materials supporting mushroom growth having considerably prejudiced the consumer's tastes. However, with the development of established scientific processes for composting and preparation of ‘tufei' and in view of the high market value, mushroom cultivation can be considered as a prime example of low-energy, low-cost and low-waste technology which can greatly benefit the developing countries. Unesco is well aware of the importance of research on micro-organism, and together with other U. N. agencies and appropriate non-governmental organizations is sponsoring the Fifth International Conference on the Global Impacts of Applied Microbiology at Bangkok in November this year. Through these activities, i.e. the training course, fellowship and conference programme, Unesco helps in the training of manpower for education and research for the fascinating microbiological decades ahead of us, which may prove as important as the developments in physics 20 years ago. Participants of this course, you come here to be trained in the field of your choice and in the coming weeks specialists in the area of mushroom cultivation will be with you. In the coming weeks, you should learn, study from them and where necessary, teach them the important problems and production methods in this field of research activity, elsewhere and especially in the region. Microbiology, as you well know, offers a sound base for interdisciplinary approaches and so you should gather as much information as possible in the different aspects presented here for transfer to your colleagues back home. Each one of you is an important element in the transfer of this valuable technology and in some years to come will be responsible for the next formation of researchers in this important area of research. The rich promise given you to attend this course should not go unfulfilled. Together with the faculty members to whom we extended thanks for their devotion and sacrifice in drumming up an “edible mushroom" scientific programme in the days to follow, this course augurs well to break ground for future activities in the region of Southeast Asia. I should like to take this opportunity to thank the University authorities, the Committee for Scientific Co-ordination, Dr. Chang and his team of colleagues for having made admirable efforts in putting this course on track. I also like to mention the valuable help of Dr. McDivitt and Dr. Trapp of our Regional Office in Jakarta in ensuring the success of this course. You participants, with the help of the teaching faculty and the local organizers, have the potential to contribute to the development of microbiology in this part of the globe which is so extremely rich in substrates for microbial conversion to products which man so badly needs. The future is yours, and thank you.