IV International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species
Presented By: International Society for Horticultural Science, hosted by ECHO North America
Register Before:
October 13, 2025 23:55
Event Contact:
Dr. Timothy Motis (research@echonet.org)
Phone: 239-567-3354
Beyond the few staple grains that supply most of the world’s food lies a host of plant species that are largely neglected in terms of research devoted to them. Among them are fruits, agroforestry species, green manure/cover crops, leafy greens, biofuel species, animal forage and fodder species, and plants that provide ecological services such as erosion control. Advancing our knowledge of these plants is vital to creating food and agroecosystems that thrive under challenging growing conditions and changing climates.
Hosted by ECHO Inc., under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science, this four-day symposium will feature a mix of plenary, oral, and poster sessions, a full day at ECHO’s Global Research and Demonstration Farm in Florida USA, and a day of field excursions to
surrounding agricultural sites. Please join us for a rich time of renewed discovery and knowledge sharing in October 2025!
Event Details
Location
The Luminary Hotel & Co.
2200 Edwards Drive Fort Myers, FL 33901 USA
Language
English
Registration
To access the member price, you must be an active ISH member. Members of the International Society for Horticulture Science receive a $125 discount on registration. Become a member today!
For the student rate, you must be currently enrolled as a student. Please ensure you meet the eligibility requirements before purchasing tickets.
Registration includes morning plenary sessions, lunch, oral and poster sessions, Acta horticulturae proceedings, and the Farm-to-Table Celebration.
Lodging
Arrival By Car
Luminary Hotel & Co. 2200 Edwards Dr. Fort Myers, FL 33901
The conference hotel is located at the -- exit (128) on I-75.
A gem of the River District in downtown Fort Myers, The Luminary Hotel and Co. is conveniently located near the ECHO Global Farm. Transportation between the hotel and the farm is provided by ECHO. Please note that the conference registration fee does not include your hotel stay, and you will need to book your room directly through the hotel. Click here now to book a room at the Luminary Hotel for the IV International Symposium on Underutilized Plant Species OR call 833-918-1512 and ask for ECHO Symposium group rate.
Arrival by Plane
The hotel offers complimentary transportation to and from the Fort Myers airport. We highly recommend that you book all travel to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). There are several large international airports within 2-4 hours drive from the conference including Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Miami (MIA), Tampa (TPA), and Orlando (MCO). We do not recommend flying into these airports unless you can arrange your own transportation to Fort Myers, as we are unable to assist with airport transportation to these airports. You may be able to share a ride with another delegate.
Luminary Parking Information
$20 for self-parking (overnight)
$28 for valet parking (overnight)
$1 per hour or $10 per day for public garage access (City of Palms Parking Facility)
Food
Lunch
Lunch is provided each day at the hotel by ECHO Global Farm. Thursday's Farm-to-Table lunchtime celebration at ECHO Global Farm is included in your registration.
Breakfast and Supper
Please plan to make your own breakfast and supper arrangements. Ella Mae's Diner is an excellent onsite breakfast option. There are many other restaurants within walking distance of the symposium hotel.
Here are some resources:
Additional Opportunities
Abstract Submissions
All abstracts and manuscripts must be submitted through ROSA (Responsive Online System for Acta Horticulturae submission and review).
- Click here to access ROSA
- Click here for the ISHS online submission procedure
- Click here for Acta Horticulturae guidelines
Important Dates:
December 2, 2024: Start of accepting abstract submissions (Note: when abstracts are accepted, authors will be invited to submit a full manuscript)
June 13, 2025: Abstract submission deadline
September 1, 2025: Full paper submission deadline
Notes:
- Only abstracts submitted in English will be reviewed.
- Abstracts must not exceed 300 words.
- Abstracts must not contain tables, pictures or graphs.
- All abbreviations must be spelled out on first use.
- Abstracts should be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammar.
- An abstract submission charge is due upon submission of an abstract and applies to the presenting author only. For ISHS Individual members, the abstract submission charge is fully waived. Those who do not hold a user account with ISHS yet: create an ISHS user account first here. After payment and activation of your user account, you can start your abstract submission.
- Abstracts must always be submitted by the presenting author, using their own personal ISHS user account. Submitting an abstract on behalf of, or using the ISHS user account of another author is strictly prohibited.
- Abstracts must be submitted by June 13 (Friday), 2025 for consideration by the Scientific Committee. Authors will be notified of provisional acceptance of abstracts by July 11th (Friday), 2025 and will also be notified if the abstract has been selected for an oral or poster presentation.
- All oral presenters, including invited and keynote speakers, must submit a manuscript for Acta Horticulturae according to the Acta Horticulturae guidelines by Sept 1st (Monday), 2025. (Alternatively, presenters have the option to submit a full scientific manuscript on the topic presented at the symposium to the ISHS Scientific Journal eJHS in lieu of submitting a manuscript for Acta Horticulturae). Oral presenters who fail to submit a manuscript for publication in Acta Horticulturae or the ISHS Scientific Journal may be refused the floor for making their oral presentation. Authors of posters are strongly encouraged to prepare and submit a manuscript for
Acta Horticulturae. - Presenting authors of abstracts accepted for presentation (both oral/poster) must register for the symposium by Aug 4th (Monday), 2025. Failing to register for the symposium will result in your abstract being withdrawn from the symposium program and your manuscript being withdrawn from the Acta Horticulturae symposium proceedings.
- Failing to present (oral/poster) at the symposium will result in your manuscript being withdrawn from the Acta Horticulturae symposium proceedings.
