The European Society for New Methods in Agricultural Research (ESNA) is an international society originally established in Wageningen (The Netherlands) in 1969 with the aims of exchanging ideas and techniques to promote the advancement of agricultural sciences. The original scope - the co-ordination of research in the application of nuclear techniques in agriculture - has gradually changed and now the Society also covers aspects of environmental protection and the application of new methods and biotechnology in agricultural research. The Society organizes annual meetings in various European countries and the scientific programme is devoted to fundamental and applied issues from the above-mentioned areas. The topics of the 3 working groups, where current research is presented as oral papers or posters, are specified here.