Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

The joint research unit UMR1332 Fruit Biology and Pathology of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) and University of Bordeaux was created in 2011 through the aggregation in a single unit of the fruit biology and plant pathology research groups at INRA Bordeaux. Research conducted within the UMR1332/INRA fits and concerns, specifically, the study of early fruit development from floral initiation to mature fruit and the elaboration of fleshy fruit quality, the study of the adaptation of fruit species to climate change. Since its creation, 194 ISI papers have been published by UMR1332/INRA, with more than 100 in the top 25% of their research areas, and almost 50 in the top 10%. UMR1332 received 6.8 Mio € funding for the period from 2011-13 from regional, national, European and international programs.

Within UMR1332/INRA, the research team named "Fruit Organogenesis and Endoreduplication" develops basic research on the developmental biology of fleshy fruits, tomato and strawberry, with the aim (i) to acquire a better understanding of the genetic, physiological, cytological and molecular mechanisms involved in flowering from floral induction to the development of reproductive organs, and (ii) to contribute to the improvement of fruit quality traits. This group has a 15-year-long experience in establishing genetic maps in strawberry, which asked questions on polyploidy and relationship within Fragaria species and a 6-year program of marker assisted selection in collaboration with the private company, Ciref-CV. More recently, this group described the genetic control of perpetual flowering and its link with runnering and now develops research on molecular control of the balance between sexual and asexual flowering. Furthermore, they developed an approach based on modelling to highlight new aspects of the genetic flowering control. In addition, studies on the determinism of floral induction/initiation, fruit development and quality in strawberry have a solid integration into the national industry of strawberry.

Within the GoodBerry project, INRA is amongst others involved in the experiment of 5 established strawberry cultivars and in the study of the effect of nitrogen application on floral initiation timing by using tray plants in nursery. INRA is responsible for a genetic/genomics approach to identify genetic/molecular control of developmental and fruit quality traits specific or not to different environments and management tested.

Main Contact

Photo of Béatrice Denoyes
Dr Béatrice Denoyes
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

Additional Team Members

  • Photo of Frédéric Delmas
    Dr Frédéric Delmas
  • Photo of Frédéric Gévaudant
    Dr Frédéric Gévaudant