The Unit

Last update: 20 January 2020

In order to take up the challenges facing Mediterranean and tropical agriculture, the Agap Unit seeks to combine a wide diversity of skills, approaches and resources for cultivated plants that are better suited to diverse agrosystems.

Faced with the global environmental and societal challenges of Mediterranean and tropical agriculture (food security, agrosystem sustainability, climate change energy and ecological transition).

Agap Institute brings into play and integrates resources and knowledge on:

  • the organization and diversity of genomes;
  • the management and optimum utilisation of agricultural biodiversity;
  • the genetic and functional bases of development and adaptation to the environment, along with product quality;
  • data integration and modelling (of plant stands) to help define varietal ideotypes;
  • the latest phenotyping and genotyping methods;
  • the integration of knowledge for varietal innovation and novel selection methods.

Working for diversity in Mediterranean and tropical supply chains

Around twenty Mediterranean and tropical species are covered. They are divided into three major sets: self‑fertilizing annual species (rice, wheat, sorghum, cotton, groundnut), asexual reproduction species (citrus, roots and tubers, banana, sugarcane), and perennial species (eucalyptus, oil palm, apple, grapevine, olive, rubber, cacao). Varietal creation is undertaken for most of these species.

To take up the major challenges facing agriculture

  • Food security, quality of consumed products, consumer and supply chain expectations;
  • Agrosystem sustainability and their reduced vulnerability, especially in a climate change context;
  • Ecological transition of farming to reduce its environmental impact.

Four scientific poles

Last update: 20 January 2020