The Ataturk Horticultural Central Research Institute (ABKAE), Turkey, is a public research institute working under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. ABKAE took part as a "Central Research Organization" in the priorities, policies, program and budget within the framework of research activities in the country on the basis of horticulture. Projects prepared under the nation-wide programs are carried out by individual scientists or teams from ABKAE or collaboration with other institutes and/or related faculties of the Universities. Within the framework of its duties, ABKAE prepares and joins research projects on evaluation-selection and breeding of high yielding, well adapted, disease resistant horticultural cultivars; agrotechnology (fertilization, irrigation, protection, physiology etc.), storage, processing and marketing. ABKAE organizes courses, seminars, conferences, training programs and workshops regularly for farmers, agricultural engineers, agricultural technicians, economists and home growers.