History

The transition to a new era for Greek agriculture, with our country's accession to the European Economic Community, has mobilized a group of visionary scientists working on Plant Breeding and Genetics and Agriculture, serving at Universities and/ or Research Institutions to set up a scientific society with the aim of:

Informing and exchanging views among people having a major interest in research in the fields of Genetics, Breeding and Seed production, protecting the rights of breeders, intervening to and consulting the decision-making bodies of the respective Governments and in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, organizing scientific conferences, lectures and workshops.

On July 4, 1981, a temporary management committee was appointed and the process of founding the Society began, with 37 founding members. Subsequently, on 15 January 1982, the statute of the association was formed and two months later the minutes of the Hellenic Scientific Society of Plant Genetic Breeding were redacted.

According to the above, the Society is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, which consists of members elected at the General Meeting of the Society. The length of service of the Board of Directors was initially decided to be eighteen months, and later it was set to two years and was associated with the organizing of the regular biennial conference of the society.

With the aim of enhancing society's activities, the payment of an annual subscription fee and the participation of members in all the activities and events of the society were decided. The elections for the selection of the 1st Board of Directors took place on May 8, 1982, at the 1st General Meeting, with 47 members present. The elected Board defined the terms of registration for new members, the actions of the Society and the participatory role of the regular members. At the General Meeting of June 15, 1987, it was decided to hold scientific conferences every two years.

The promotion of the Society in print and electronic media and the distribution of information documents to State Services and Ministries was also decided in 1987, while a very important proposal for the recognition of Breeders' rights (by registering their name in the National and European Variety Catalog) was send to the Department of Field Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture. Subsequently, it was proposed to publish a scientific journal entitled "Breeding", which would include papers on the subject of Plant Genetics and Breeding, publications, abstracts of foreign-language articles and abstracts or parts of undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral theses.

In 1989 the society significantly increased its members, reaching a total of 126, while being active in organizing lectures, meetings and conferences. In addition, a Greek-English Dictionary on the terms of Plant Genetics, Breeding, Biometrics and Agriculture, was published, with the contribution of most of the Society’s members.

A major innovation of HSSPGB was the establishment of symbolic financial awards. Specifically: a) two awards in memory of Professor Christidis, one for the best oral presentation of a young researcher at the conference of the Society, and one for the best doctoral thesis (once every two years), b) the award in memory of the academic Papadakis, for the best poster presentation of a new researcher at the Conference of the Society, and c) 10 grants in memory of Professor Fasoulas, to young researchers for their participation in the Conference of the Society.

The Society by 2017 has organized 16 scientific conferences, a large number of lectures and workshops, and honored important researchers such as Dr. Norman Borlaug (Peace Nobel in 1970), Professor Peter A. Peterson, as well as its members such as Professors Christidis, Fasoulas, Kaltsikis and Panetsos and researchers Papadakis, Sfakianakis and Dinopoulos.