The Symposium was characterized, (as Dr. Calverley put it in his final address on behalf of the participants) “by the absence of the professional convention attendants and, on the contrary, by the attendance of those people who can bring experience and erudition to the discussion of the controlled atmosphere storage technology”. It was the first international symposium ever held on this particular subject and therefore the whole breadth of the field of grain storage in controlled atmospheres was included in the six sessions, from naturally produced oxygen-poor atmospheres in underground pits to sophisticated automatic inert gas industrial storage facilities.

Already during this Symposium, several participants called for further meetings on some of the more problem-loaded aspects of modern controlled atmosphere storage and disinfestation of grains: gas-tight facilities, sealing practices, inert gas production, high moisture grain storage. I do hope that the ASSORENI initiative in organizing this meeting will therefore be followed elsewhere in the world to permit a further diffusion of this environment-friendly, economical and safe preservation technique in modern storage facilities.

I should like to acknowledge the important support given to me by Prof. E. Cernia, President of ASSORENI, and Dr. G. Nencini, Vice-Director of the Basic Research Laboratory of ASSORENI, during the organization of the Symposium.

Thanks are due to Mr. G. G. Corbett and Dr. H. R. Shuyler of FAO for the many suggestions during the preparation of the meeting and to Harlan and Sedley Shuyler for proof-reading of the Session 7 manuscript.

The Symposium was made possible by financing by ASSORENI and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a grant for the participation of some representatives from Developing Countries.

The contributions given to the organization of the meeting and the typing of the Proceedings by Miss Marilina Frondaroli, Miss Serenella Gambini, Mrs. Maria Grazia Nobili and Miss Emanuela Soldati of ASSORENI were invaluable.

The Proceedings volume follows the lay-out of the Symposium itself and the 7 chapters correspond to the 6 Sessions of original papers and the Round Table Discussion Session.

The papers are reproduced by off-set, direct photographic reproduction of the manuscripts, as they were submitted by the authors for publication. The wrap-up reports were retyped from the rapporteurs’ manuscripts and the Round Table Discussion was completely transcribed from a tape recording.

Finally, I should like to thank my wife and my sons Mira, Martin and Christian, for their understanding during the many months in which they saw so much less of me than usual.