Cultivation of Fruit Trees for Enhanced Climate Change Resilience

Professor Adel Ahmed Abul-Soad obtained a PhD from Fruit Research Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo Univ. in 2003 in Date Palm. Professor Abul-Soad served as a foreign professor in Botany Dept., Shah Abdul Latif Univ., Pakistan for 7 years on and off starting in 2006. Scientific achievements include more than 60 published research papers in local and international impact factor journals, 12 published books and chapters as leading author and coauthor written in 3 languages (English, Arabic and Urdu). Supervised 16 Msc and PhD students. Principal Investigator and foreign counterpart for 6 research projects in Egypt, Pakistan and Nigeria. Associate Editor in Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology published by Elsevier. Reviewer in a number of journals with IF such as Acta Physiologiae Plantarum (IF 1.58), Tropical Plant Pathology (IF 0.52) Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences (IF 0.448), Applied Biological Research (IF 0.6), Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Sciences (IF 1.24). Consultant to agriculture companies in Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for various plant species including date palm, banana and other tropical species. Conducting a series of international short training courses annually from 2013-2015. Awarded a medal from ISHS, Belgium as a convener for the 9th International Symposium of In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding (Giza 13-17 March, 2016). Award of Excellence from Nigerian Institute of Oil Palm in 2014. Shield of meritorious services as a consultant to Date Palm Research Institute in 2013, Pakistan. Participated in the organizing and scientific committees of international conferences and contributed over forty scientific presentations. Professor Abul-Soad travelled to USA, Portugal, Algeria, Nigeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan for business work on date palms from 2003 until now. Jameel M. Al-Khayri is a professor of plant biotechnology at the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. Obtained B.S. in Biology in 1984 from the University of Toledo, M.S. in Agronomy in 1988 and Ph.D. in Plant Science in 1991 from the University of Arkansas, U.S.A. Dedicated research efforts to date palm biotechnology for the last three decades. Published 60 research articles and reviews in international journals in addition to 20 book chapters. Editor of several special journal issues on date palm, biotechnology, and sustainable agriculture under abiotic and biotic stress. Editor of several Springer reference books including: Date Palm Biotechnology, Date Palm Genetic Resources and Utilization Vol 1: Africa and the Americas and Vol 2: Asia and Europe, Advances in Plant Breeding Strategies: Vol 1: Breeding, Biotechnology and Molecular Tools, and Vol 2: Agronomic, Abiotic and Biotic Stress Traits, Upcoming book is titled Date Palm Biotechnology Protocols Vol 1: Tissue Culture Applications and Vol 2: Germplasm Conservation and Molecular Breeding. Appointed as a member of the Editorial Board in several international journals. Participated in the organizing and scientific committees of international scientific conferences and contributed over fifty research presentations. In addition to teaching, graduate students advising and conducting funded research projects, held administrative posts as the Assistant Director of Date Palm Research Center, Head of Department of Plant Biotechnology, and Vice Dean for Development and Quality Assurance. An active member of the International Society for Horticultural Science and Society for In Vitro Biology and serving as the National Correspondent of the International Association of Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology. Served as a Member of Majlis Ash Shura (Saudi Arabia Legislative Council) Fifth Session.