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AGROPOLIS LES DOSSIERS Expertise of the Agropolis scientific community GeneticGenetic resourcesresources GenomicsGenomics PlantPlant& biotechnologybiotechnology Number 1 – May 2001 Agropolis, International complex for research and higher education in agriculture Agropolis groups research and This scientific complex, with the vocation of an international agricultural higher education institutions university, forms a huge potential of scientific and technical expertise: in Montpellier and the Languedoc-Roussillon region, 3,000 researchers, teachers and technicians in more than 200 research in partnership with foreign units in Montpellier and the region and 600 scientists working in and international 60 countries. institutions, regional authorities and business, aiming at the Relaying on its centres of expertise, Agropolis addresses the major economic and social development of scientific, technological and economic challenges of agricultural Mediterranean and development: tropical regions. • Biodiversity management and utilisation of genetic resources, • Integrated approach of agricultural systems and rural development, • Sustainable management of natural resources and food security, • Agrifood processing in relation with human nutrition issues and food safety. Genetic resources Consumer demands for food security and better quality in Genomics agribusiness practices and in the agrifood industry can be met through the creation of new Vegetal varieties adapted to & environmentally friendly biotechnology production systems that are sparing in their exploitation of natural resources. In producing such varieties, research scientists “Genetic resources: towards better understanding, Page 4 now have at their disposal a wide conservation and use” Serge Hamon range of tools allied to increasingly detailed knowledge of plant “Genomics applied to agronomic traits” Page 8 functioning. The possibilities of varietal improvement have never Jean-Christophe Glaszmann been greater. “Genomics and plant development” Page 12 At Agropolis, over 400 people, Michel Delseny some 300 of whom are research scientists, are involved in the study of genetic resources, genomics “The Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon Page 16 and plant biotechnology. Génopole” Michel Delseny Agropolis is a benchmark in plant genomics research in Europe, particularly in studies of factors “Adaptation of plants to stress Page 18 that limit the production of environments” Claude Grignon Mediterranean and tropical plants. The participants in this work are researchers from the “Biology of the development of cultivated Page 22 various member organizations perennial plants” Françoise Dosba that constitute Agropolis: Agro.M, Cirad, CNRS, INRA, IRD, “Creation of drought-resistant plants?” Page 26 the University of Montpellier and the University of Perpignan. François Tardieu This dossier presents the major “Plant-parasite interactions: prospects for Page 29 lines of research conducted at integrated protection” Jean-Loup Notteghem Agropolis, and describes projects that make full use of the skills and know-how of its scientists. “Dissemination of innovations: from research Page 32 to applications” Jacques Meunier “Education and training at Agropolis” Page 36 André Charrier summary Genetic resources: towards better understanding, conservation and use Agronomic research must uccessful development of needed to improve resistance to continue to produce new new, higher-yield and diseases, tolerance of drought varieties if we are to meet the S better-quality varieties in a and of poor-quality soils, to more environmentally friendly demands of sustainable accelerate growth, increase yields, agribusiness sector will follow improve nutritional quality, and agriculture which is both from sustainable and responsible so forth. environmentally friendly and exploitation of biodiversity, and able to ensure food security for from understanding how this Effective and reasoned exploitation a world population that will biodiversity can be conserved for of the genetic diversity of cultivated future generations. Biodiversity in top 8,000 million by the year and wild relatives calls for agriculture can be equated with extensive knowledge and for 2020. Intensification of genetic resources of the wild and effective tools for the transfer of agricultural production seen cultivated plant species that traits of agronomic value. In its during the second half of the together constitute a pool of work on the genetic resources of 20th century has reduced both agronomically valuable genes tropical and Mediterranean the number and the genetic diversity of the species used by man, resulting in increased Conserving vulnerability of crops to recalcitrant seeds diseases and pests. at subpolar Team and co-ordinator temperatures The "Diversity and Genome of Cultivated Plants" research group The genetic resources of many plants cannot be (UMR DGPC) includes 50 researchers conserved under the conditions conventionally from Agro.M, Cirad, INRA, IRD and the used in gene libraries (storage of dehydrated University of Montpellier seeds in cold rooms). Either the seeds of these plants do not tolerate the dehydration and/or Co-ordinator : Serge Hamon, IRD cold (coffee trees, for example), or they [email protected] propagate vegetatively (vines). fax : +33(0)4 67 41 62 22 Stéphane Dussert, © IRD Cryoconservation, i.e. storage of living plant Coffee beans material at very low temperature (-196°C), is conserved at –196°C the only method available for the long-term conservation of the diversity of these species.The DGPC research group aims to develop methods of cryoconservation routinely applicable in conservation centres and to study the underlying biophysical and physiological mechanisms. Contact : Stéphane Dussert, [email protected] Agropolis - May 2001 - May Agropolis 4 Better quality sunflower oils found in other oils. It is naturally rich in linoleic acid and vitamin E, whose antioxidant properties protect against ageing and stress, lacks linolenic acid (thus allowing safe high-temperature use), and contains phytosterols, which are André Bervillié, © INRA known to counter so-called bad cholesterol.The DGPC research group aims to make better use of these characteristics of sunflower oil by investigating wild forms of Helianthus annuus as novel resources for improvement, and by creating new varieties.The objectives are: - to produce oils as rich as possible in linoleic or oleic acid to be used in mixes in response to demand; - to increase the vitamin E content so that consumers can Using wild relatives to improve oil quality reach the recommended daily intake by consuming small amounts of oil (a portion of vinaigrette on salad, for instance); Sunflower oil is much coveted by consumers and industrialists - to increase the quantity and quality of phytosterols. alike for its nutritional quality and several characteristics not Contact : André Bervillé, [email protected] plants, the Diversity and Genome More recent research on genetic valuable trait can be identified of Cultivated Plants (DGPC) diversity has adopted a functional using molecular tools and labelling research group has a twofold aim: approach designed to elucidate techniques. The same tools can to make use of plant diversity for the mechanisms that control and then be transformed into efficient variety improvement and characterize biodiversity and to screening and selection techniques. conservation. explore plant genomics. With improvements in molecular By linking a particular agronomic From plant diversity biology tools and the use of plant feature to one or more molecular to gene mapping models, we can now work with markers, effective selection the genes that govern agronomic becomes feasible. It can be ensured Until the early 1990s, research on characteristics. These tools reveal that a hybrid between a cultivated genetic diversity employed a the diversity of genes (alleles), plant and a wild relatives has descriptive approach which paid localize them and “shed light” on recovered the gene or genes that particular attention to the their expression in various genetic control the expression of the "evolution" and "history" of plant or environmental contexts. desired agronomic feature from a resources. Researchers collected very early, plantlet stage. This numerous plant species and Agronomic characteristics, which circumvents the need for field varieties and organized them in are of paramount importance in tests or experiments under collections. This approach yielded breeding, are sometimes difficult controlled conditions, as in extensive information on the to assess and of complex genetic studies of disease resistance, species complexes that cultivated determinism. The chromosomal which are difficult, costly and plants form with their wild regions containing the gene(s) time-consuming.••• relatives, on their subgroupings, involved in the expression of a and on gene flow. Agropolis - May 2001 - May Agropolis 5 Genetic resources: towards better understanding, conservation and use Using coloured Conserving chromosomes to genetic resources If we are to meet the foreseeable identify species origin and unexpected demands of the agriculture of tomorrow, it is vital Genome structure can be investigated using molecular to conserve the most diversified cytogenetics. Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) locates resources possible. Over the last precise sequences which will be fluorescently labelled on the three decades this goal has led to chromosomes. Genomic

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