Singapore is reputed as a Garden City in the world. The Singapore government is transforming Singapore into a City in a Garden. We envisage to have attractive new parks, verdant park connectors and eye-catching vertical and high rise greenery. Our National Parks Board (NParks) aims to bring parks and green spaces to the people. A team of internationally certified Arborists from the NParks takes care of more than a million trees grown in Singapore. There are three unique theme gardens, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Garden-by-the-Bay, and Gardens at Marina South, Marina East and Marina Centre. We import many ornamental plants for landscaping and for display in the gardens. Inevitably we will encounter virus diseases of such ornamental plants. We have reported Cymbidium mosaic virus, Odontoglossum ringspot virus, Hibiscus chlorotic ringspot virus and Hibiscus latent Singapore virus from cultivated orchids and ornamental Hibiscus shrubs.

The working group of virus diseases of ornamental plants are professionals who provide research and development, education, and extension services to government agencies and the public. They are involved in identification of new viral diseases, improvement in virus disease diagnosis and development of innovative disease control strategies. During the symposium, there will be both poster and oral presentations of new research finding and results. Participants will exchange information through questions and answers, during coffee and tea breaks, and during field trip to Garden-by-the-Bay and visit to a life science research institute named Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory.
I welcome you to take this opportunity to visit Singapore which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015. Singapore has a rich history and heritage of multi-cultures originated from Europe, India and China.