Developing an ideotype of apple varieties for agronomically efficient, low-input orchards

Fruit production is currently facing a range of mounting pressures that are jeopardising its performance. A fundamental overhaul of practices must be undertaken, bringing together the expertise of geneticists and breeders, agronomists, plant pathologists, physiologists and modellers, as well as socio-economists and representatives of the fruit-growing sector. In particular, it is necessary to rethink the design of varietal ideotypes through a holistic approach in which the variety is situated within its environment, subject to cultivation practices and various treatments and manipulations, within a complex interaction that must be optimised to address the various economic and environmental challenges. In this article, we attempt to highlight some key ideas underpinning the research conducted at INRA, which enable us to address the three levels of complexity that must be taken into account when constructing ideotypes: (i) combining favourable alleles from several genes for each trait, (ii) combining several traits whose genetic determinism or physiology may prove to be antagonistic, (iii) seeking favourable synergies between genetic potential, environmental effects and farming practices.