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Zaragoza to host the SECH Congress on Fruit Growing and Citrus Production in 2026
CIHEAM > AGENDAS > Zaragoza to host the SECH Congress on Fruit Growing and Citrus Production in 2026
  • The congress is organised by the Agri-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), CIHEAM Zaragoza, and the Spanish Society of Horticultural Sciences (SECH).
  • The event will be held at CIHEAM Zaragoza (Campus de Aula Dei) on 16-18 June 2026.

Zaragoza, 25 September 2025. CIHEAM Zaragoza, the Agri-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), and the Spanish Society of Horticultural Sciences (SECH), will jointly organise the congress in Zaragoza from 16 to 18 June 2026.

This biennial congress, of national and international relevance, will bring together research centres, universities, the private sector, and fruit growers to exchange information on the latest developments in research and innovation. The scientific programme will address common challenges in plant breeding, production of propagation material, agronomy, irrigation, mechanisation, crop protection, post-harvest management, and marketing. Participants will focus on improving scientific knowledge and translating it into technical and practical applications for the sector.

María José Rubio Cabetas, congress coordinator and researcher at CITA talks about the upcoming event: “The 2026 edition will focus on the challenges posed by new crop systems within the framework of Agenda 2030: adaptation of plant material to climate change, application of new technologies, reducing the carbon footprint and improving orchard profitability”.

SECH supports the biennial congresses as part of its mission to develop greater collaboration between professionals and institutions dedicated to horticultural science.

For SECH’s president, Francisco José Arenas, “Aragon is a national and international point of reference for fruit growing, thanks to its extensive orchard area and diversity of high-quality production. This is supported by the long-standing efforts of the researchers at CITA, the implication of the fruit growing sector, and collaboration with institutions such as CIHEAM Zaragoza and SECH. The collaboration agreement and joint organisation of the congress on fruit growing and citrus production is a decisive step in strengthening synergies between science, innovation and production. Institutional cooperation is essential to address strategic challenges such as adaptation to climate change, improvement of sustainability, and the international competitiveness of our fruit sector”.

CIHEAM Zaragoza, located on the Campus of Aula Dei, previously hosted the VIII SECH Congress of Experimentation in Fruit Growing together with the XIV AIDA Congress on Plant Production in 2010. This renewed role as host institution stems from a formal agreement with SECH. CIHEAM Zaragoza will also contribute to promoting the event and will be represented on the organising committee.

Raúl Compés, director of CIHEAM Zaragoza underlined the institution’s commitment: “It is a great satisfaction for us to collaborate in the organisation of the event, providing institutional assistance and expertise. Initiatives such as this congress reinforce scientific research, technological innovation, and sustainable development in a strategic sector for Aragon (a leading fruit-growing region), Spain, and the Mediterranean region, and deserve our firm and committed support.

We are convinced that this joint effort will strengthen scientific and technical cooperation between researchers and practitioners, facilitating solutions and knowledge transfer”. Full information about the congress will soon be available on the SECH website and the congress web page”.