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the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria flaviventris. © INRA, ©CIRAD Antoine FOUCART

News

11 Sep 2017

Desert locusts: new risks in the light of climate change

The desert locust is an invasive species that is both well known and feared because of the large-scale agricultural damage it can cause. It is particularly closely monitored, to prevent the risks of outbreaks and invasions. Climate change could modify its distribution area, meaning a new threat to agriculture, according to a study published in the journal Global Change Biology by researchers from CIRAD and INRA.

Sunflowers - SUNRISE project with INRA Toulouse

Press release

22 May 2017

Sunflower genome reveals symphony of genes involved in oil production and flowering

Less than one year after the decoding of the sunflower genome, in-depth analyses of said genome have revealed the hundreds of genes that work together to regulate flowering, and those that are involved in the production of oil. Carried out by INRA scientists1 within the framework of the SUNRISE project in the French Investments for the Future Programme and in collaboration with the International sunflower genome consortium2, the studies were published online in the May 22, 2017 issue of Nature.

Pea aphids Acyrthosiphon pisum (green body) on faba bean (Vicia faba). Founder with young larval stages. The eyes (points in dark red) of the embryos from the parthenogenetic reproduction are visible by transparency in the abdomen of the female.. © Inra, Federica Calevro

News

19 May 2017

A promising gene to control the reproductive potential of aphids

RNA interference technology (RNAi) has enabled inactivation of the PAH gene which is essential for embryonic development of the pea aphid.

Charançon rouge du palmier, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, équipé d’une puce électronique de type RFID (en anglais radio frequency identification) décelable à courte distance (10 cm).. © INRA, Rachid Hamidi

News

24 Jan 2017

Tracking the red palm weevil

Microchips to monitor the movements of a pest insect

Spore de Plasmopara halstedii, oomycète responsable du mildiou du tournesol. © INRA

News

10 Jan 2017

A major advance in characterising downy mildew resistance genes in sunflower

A team of INRA scientists from Toulouse and Clermont Ferrand has developed a method that can identify the proteins responsible for the virulence of the parasite that causes downy mildew in sunflower. This disease can cause an almost total loss of yield in the event of a severe infestation. These findings have just been published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. This advance should facilitate the characterisation of genes for the resistance of sunflower to downy mildew.