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Dept. AgroEcoSystem

Lab. UR 1115 Plants and Cropping Systems in Horticulture (Plantes et Systèmes de culture Horticoles)

MESH - Methods, concepts and evaluation of multi-performing horticultural systems 

Contact details

French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE)

Domaine Saint Paul, site Agroparc

CS 40509

84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France

Tel: +33 432 72 24 53

Email: francoise.lescourret@inrae.fr

Education

1980: Diploma in Agricultural Engineering, Institut National Agronomique, France.

1984: PhD thesis in Agronomical Sciences, speciality Ecology.

2002: HDR, Accreditation to supervise research in life sciences, Paris XI University, France.

Research topics

I am a modeler in agro-ecology, in the field of horticulture. My goal is to contribute to model-based design of ecological horticultural systems. I have worked mainly and jointly on the dynamics of fruit quality traits and on fruit-plant-pest-beneficial interactions, and on their control by cultural practices. I have collaborated on related topics such as growers’ practices and pest ecology. I am currently developing modelling work to study and manage multiple ecosystem services in agroecosystems.

Main responsibilities

• Until December 2010, leader of a team in my unit: "Ecology of Integrated Production" (Permanent staff: 14 scientists and engineers, 6 technicians)
• From 2010 to 2018, one of the four assistants for scientific management in my Research Division “Environment and Agronomy” (760 employees); responsible for the structuring challenge “Valorisation and management of biodiversity in agroecosystems”.
• Since 2012 to 2017, member of the coordination unit of the INRA metaprogram on Ecosystem Services, and co-leader of the metaprogram in 2018-2019.
• Since 2016, president of the Strategic Committee of the Scientific Interest Group on Vegetable Crops (GIS PIClég).

Selected publications

More than 160 peer-reviewed scientific papers. A selection of papers is given hereafter.

Lescourret, F., Génard, M., 2005. A virtual peach fruit model simulating changes in fruit quality during the final stage of fruit growth. Tree Physiology 25, 1303-1315.

 Gibert, C., Chadoeuf, J., Nicot, P., Vercambre, G., Génard, M., Lescourret, F., 2009. Modelling the effect of cuticular crack surface area and inoculum density on the probability of nectarine fruit infection by Monilinia laxa. Plant Pathology 58, 1021-1031.

Grechi, I., Hilgert, N., Sauphanor, B., Senoussi, R., Lescourret, F., 2010. Modelling coupled peach tree-aphid population dynamics and their control by winter pruning and nitrogen fertilization. Ecological modelling 221, 2363-2373.

Nesme,T., Lescourret, F., Bellon, S., Habib, R., 2010. Is the plot concept an obstacle in agricultural sciences? A review focussing on fruit production. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 138, 133-138.

Lescourret, F., Moitrier, N., Valsesia, P., Génard, M., 2011. QualiTree, a virtual fruit tree to study the management of fruit quality. I. Model development. Trees-Structure and Function 25, 519-530.

Vinatier, F., Lescourret, F., Duyck, P.-F., Tixier, P., 2012. From IBM to IPM: Using individual-based models to design the spatial arrangement of traps and crops in integrated pest management strategies. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 146, 52-59.

Grechi, I., Ould-Sidi, M.M., Hilgert, N., Senoussi, R., Sauphanor, B., Lescourret, F., 2012. Designing integrated management scenarios using simulation-based and multi-objective optimization: Application to the peach tree-Myzus persicae aphid system. Ecological Modelling 246, 47-59.

Quilot-Turion, B., Ould-Sidi, M.M., Kadrani, A., Hilgert, N., Génard, M., Lescourret, F., 2012. Optimization of parameters of the 'Virtual Fruit' model to design peach genotype for sustainable production systems. European Journal of Agronomy 42, 34-48.

Génard, M., Lescourret, F., 2013. Combining Niche and Dispersal in a Simple Model (NDM) of Species Distribution. Plos One 8.

Gaba, S., Lescourret, F., Boudsocq, S., Enjalbert, J., Hinsinger, P., Journet, E.P., Navas, M.L., Wery, J., Louarn, G., Malezieux, E., Pelzer, E., Prudent, M., Ozier-Lafontaine, H., 2015. Multiple cropping systems as drivers for providing multiple ecosystem services: from concepts to design. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35, 607-623.

Lescourret, F., Magda, D., Richard, G., Adam-Blondon, A.-F., Bardy, M., Baudry, J., Doussan, I., Dumont, B., Lefèvre, F., Litrico, I., Martin-Clouaire, R., Montuelle, B., Pellerin, S., Plantegenest, M., Tancoigne, E., Thomas, A., Guyomard, H., Soussana, J.-F., 2015. A social–ecological approach to managing multiple agro-ecosystem services. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 14, 68-75.

Demestihas, C., Plenet, D., Genard, M., Raynal, C., Lescourret, F., 2017. Ecosystem services in orchards. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 37.

Demestihas, C., Plenet, D., Genard, M., Raynal, C., Lescourret, F., 2019. A simulation study of synergies and tradeoffs between multiple ecosystem services in apple orchards. Journal of Environmental Management 236, 1-16.

Gascuel-Odoux, C., Lescourret, F., Dedieu, B., Detang-Dessendre, C., Faverdin, P., Hazard, L., Litrico-Chiarelli, I., Petit, S., Roques, L., Reboud, X., Tixier-Boichard, M., de Vries, H., Caquet, T., 2022. A research agenda for scaling up agroecology in European countries. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 42, 53.

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