These researches focus on aerial system, considering scales from individual tree, to organs and physiological and molecular control. The dynamics of tree edification, including reproductive phase, is analyzed considering genetic and environmental factors and their interaction. Genetic and molecular investigations are carried out on floral phenology, intensity and regularity of flowering over years, tree architecture.

Species under study are mainly the apple and olive tree. Apple tree is the main focus for the team works on tree architecture, structural-functional modelling, and more recently for studying the molecular control of flowering time. Studies on quantitative genetics consider dependencies between consecutive years and between tree entities. On the olive tree, which is a major crop in Mediterranean area, we perform innovative studies regarding the species diversity and domestication in the Mediterranean basin, in collaboration with CBNMed. This allows a continuum of research from genetic diversity to traits of agronomic interest and linked to tree adaptation to climatic conditions, in collaboration with Mediterranean partnerships.

Research performed in AFEF team contribute to “Development and Adaptation” Theme in the Unit, with a strong interface with the thematic “Analysis of diversity” in the case of olive tree. they contribute to Fruit Group in BAP Department and to different national initiative such as “GIS Fruits”. We also are part of the “Rosaceae Genomic Conference” group and to structural-functional plant model network (FSPM, PMA).

From 2014 to 2019 we contributed to numerous projects, at the European level such as FruitBreedomics (FP7), APMed  (PRIMA), FriendlyFruit (KIC climate) and Invite (H2020) on apple tree, PestOlive (H2020) and BeFOre on olive tree. At the international level we contributed to two PRCI ANR-DFG AlternAp and FSPM-Apple, and at the national level to Hiri-FAP and PerPheClim in INRA méta-progam ACCAF ApplecoreStress, DormAp and GenFun on apple, as well as  OlivMed on olive tree.