Guiding management and AntIcipation of fungal pathogen Adaptation.

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The GAIA team results from the merger between the former AMAR team and part of the former EPIDEV team.
In an original way, and thanks to a wide range of skills, the GAIA team studies the adaptation of fungal pathogens to wheat and the management of fungal diseases in a cross-disciplinary manner. Our research questions include (1) characterizing the molecular determinants of resistance to both synthetic and biological antifungals, (2) the dynamics of the evolution of cultivar- or fungicide-adapted variants in populations, in interaction with cultural practices and landscape components, and (3) the sustainability of fungal pathogen control strategies. Our research is carried out in an integrative way, applying interdisciplinary approaches in almost all projects. GAIA scientists cover the following disciplines: agronomy, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular genetics, population genetics, plant pathology, biomathematics, population biology and landscape epidemiology. Our interdisciplinary research activity, combined with decades of back-and-forth between basic and applied research on antifungal resistance, linked more recently to questions of adaptation to varietal resistance, original diagnostic tools, rich collections of resistant or virulent populations, and a deep connection with a vast agricultural territory (Zone Atelier Plaine et Val de Sèvre), an ideal place for epidemiosurveillance in collaboration with a group of farmers committed to scientific research, give us leadership in our scientific and field communities, as well as independent expertise recognized by national and European bodies. Finally, our team is heavily involved in transfer activities aimed at the farming profession, the general public and public policy decision-makers.