Download plant breeding and genetics

CENTER OF MONTPELLIER
PLANT
BREEDING
AND GENETICS
UMR Diversity and
genome of cultivated
plants DGPC
IRD - BP 64501
911 av. d’Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 5
www.dgpc.org
Director : Serge HAMON (IRD)
Tél : 04 67 41 61 94 - Fax : 04 67 41 62 22
Management : [email protected] - Research : [email protected]
Secretary’s office :
Tél : 04 67 41 62 21 - Fax : 04 67 41 62 22
Assistant : Jean-Marie PROSPERI (Domaine de Melgueil)
Tél : 04 67 29 06 21 - Fax : 04 67 29 39 90
Management : [email protected]
Secretary’s office :
Tél : 04 67 29 06 07 - Fax : 04 67 29 39 90
Partners :
Agro.M - IRD
Presentation
The joint research unit Diversity and genomes of cultivated
plants (UMR-DGPC) is attached to theMontpellier National
College of Agriculture (Ensam) and operates joint ventures
with the universities of Montpellier II and Nîmes. It involves
some fifty parity researchers between the Institute of
Development Research (IRD) and the National Institute of
Agricultural Research (Inra). The unit is integrated in the
combined research institute “Mediterranean and tropical
continental biodiversit” and is attached to the “Biology of
integrated systems - Agriculture environment” doctoral college. It is also involved in a large number of joint ventures
with both developed and developing countries. The researchers are thus directly seconded overseas.
The DGPC UMR co-ordinates reearch regarding the history, evolutionary abilities and domestication of cultivated
species and wild species related to them in the
Mediterranean basin (hard wheat, alfafa, maize, olive tree,
palm tree, date tree, sunflower, vine) and in the intertropical zone (Arracacia, coffee trees, yam, maize, cassava,
millet, cowpea, Andean palm trees, rice). It is also interested in plant – pathogen relationshipsfor viruses (Rice
Yellow Mottle), nematodes (Meloïdogyne, Heterodera),
bacteria (cotton plant bacteriosis) and fungi (anthracnoses
of berries, fusarioses, rust). These studies are based on
major collections of genetic resources, often international
references, resulting from sometimes very old programmes
of collection and exploration.
In this regard, the UMR manages the French collections
ofvine (number 1 collection in the world), sunflower, maize
and the model species Medicago truncatula.
www.montpellier.inra.fr
FOOD
A G R I C U LT U R E
ENVIRONMENT
The domestication and selection processes carried out by
man generally result in a progressive decrease in genetic
diversity. The importance of this evolution varies from one
species to another. Thus we observe a severe decrease in
the genetic diversity of the cultivated pool in relation to the
ancestral pool with hard wheat or the arabica coffee tree,
or a relative conservation of the diversity observable in the
wild pool, but the contrasted morphologies with alfafa or
the cassavas are maintained. The studies conducted try
with the most adapted tools and methods to trigger off the
principal factors in these evolutions: taking the geographical structuring into account, identifying bottlenecks, measuring imbalances in liaison, exploring the processes of
domestication and precision on the phylogenetic organisation of complexes of species (coffee trees, palm trees). The
information gathered on these species enables us inter alia
to structure the variability available within collections, to
optimise their management and to offer an optimum diffusion of these matériels by setting up “core collections”.
The UMR is also interested in the recent evolution of the
diversity of cultivated species in connection or otherwise
with a “wild” gene pool. These studies take into account the
influence of various biotic or abiotic factors, new varieties
in particular, on evolutionary mechanisms, the recombination between homologous genomes and gene expression
control. Often the introduction of new variéties results in a
substantial decrease in the diversity of culture through
abandoning old varieties and associated cultural practices.
However, in some regions of the world (sub-Saharan
Africa, Central or South America), farmers maintain a vital
diversity and succeed in incorporating recent varieties
owing to strategies, a priori empirical, of varietal management and exchanges betwee villages (yam, cassava,
millet). The gene flows between varieties or wild species
also play a part in the evolution of cultivated diversity, often
in a beneficial way in traditional systems of agriculture, by
maintaining resistance to certain bio-aggressors (viruses,
nematodes). These gene flows are also active in modern
systems of agriculture (alfafa, hard wheat and sunflower)
or introducing selected genes (or transgenes) into the wild
domain may prove to be harmful by modifying the adaptive
abilities of wild or self-propagating species. Moreover,
some cultivated forms may lose their cultivated characteristics in marginal ecological conditions and revert in part to
‘self-propagating’ phenotypes (“chibbra” millet, “red” rice),
substantially diminishing crop quality.
Of the characteristics studied, those associated with improving quality (sugars, tannins, glycerides), the typicity of
soils and product “traceability” are a significant field of
investigation. This applies to basic products like wheat
(proteins, sugars) but rises considerably with products that
have high added value where the genetic determinants of
quality are crucial (vine, coffee, sunflower). Now access to
the elementary diversity within the genes themselves or
their promoter region and its level of genetic expression
opens up a new area of investigation and enables more
FOOD
A G R I C U LT U R E
ENVIRONMENT
precise farming of the diversity observable within the species. The quality studied is also affected by the environment, primarily by the bio-aggressors that inhibit plant
development (nematodes, fusarioses) or damage the quality of leaves or fruits (rust, bacterioses), if the host-parasite reactions are not controlled. Hence the development of
studies that increase our knowledge of the “hypersensitivity” reaction phases that appear in the first hours of infection and the phenomena of pathogens bypassing resistances. The aim of all these studies is to develop new varieties whose agricultural behaviour is predictable and stable
and which can be identifiedunambiguously.
Setting up this joint research unit has enabled us to bring
together a range of skills from several institutes to study
the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and topic areas
that require both theoretical approaches based on state-ofthe-art methods and reliable experiments. The development of molecular biology techniques nowenables us to
base these studies on precise, quality data with levels of
accuracy rarely achieved. New areas are being explored:
sequencing EST (Expressed Sequences Tags), identification SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) for genes of
interest, creating BAC (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome)
banks, high-performance genotyping protocoles.
Keywords
Biodiversity ; genetic resources ; gene bank ; collection ; molecular genetic ; genomic ; gene
flow ; recombination ; tolerance to diseases ; genetic ressources ; quality.
Teams
n
Management and evolution of genetic variability
Dynadiv – Dynamics of diversity
n Genomics of coffee trees
n Genetics of the sunflower
n Genetics of the vine
n Physiology and genetics of tropical plant resistance
n
Activities
n
Genetic, physiological and molecular bases of resistance to bioaggressors (vine/oidium)
n Genetic, physiological and molecular bases of the quality components
(cereal/hard wheat ; berry/vine)
n Creating and managing varieties for territorialised biological agriculture
n Assessing the impact of new varieties (gene flow between cultivated
species, related species or post-cultural regrowths: sunflower, cereals)
n Evolutionary and dynamic mechanisms in the diversity of temperate
cultivated species and their related species (Medicago, hard wheat,
sunflower, annual alfafa, vine, maize)
n Methodology of varietal creation and varietal innovation (hard wheat,
sunflower, maize, soya, vine)
n Genomic, biological and IT resources (Medicago, sunflower, vine,
cereals)