To achieve this goal, our research focuses on etiology of emerging diseases, evolutionary ecology of plant pathogens, epidemiology and development of control methods

Our expertise concerns the characterization of genetic and phenotypic diversity of plant pathogens, the analysis of variability potential of plant pathogens, the study of the conditions that enhance the spread of epidemics, the evaluation of the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on the effectiveness and durability of control methods and the modelling of the evolutionary steps of plant pathogenic variation both at the plot and landscape scales.

Our main plant species models are economically important fruit and vegetable crops typically produced in the Mediterranean basin: tomato, melon, zucchini, lettuce, pepper, apricot and kiwi. The plant pathogen models are among the major causal agents of diseases on these crops: the viruses PVY, ZYMV, CMV…, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae and the fungi Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Oidium neolycopersici. Studies are also conducted on Ceratocystis canker of plane trees and viral diseases of ornamental crops.

The unit is structured into two research teams (MISTRAL and VIROLOGY) corresponding to the three types of pathogens studied in our research unit. The MISTRAL team result from the fusion of the bacteriology and mycology teams in january 2012.