GENE THERAPY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

THE south of France is not solely about warm, Mediterranean sunshine and largely happy grape-growing conditions. One of the country’s key research institutes - French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) - has a centre in the Languedoc. For the past 40 years researchers have been working on creating grape varieties that are adapted to fungal diseases, notably downy and powdery mildew, and to climate change. This is a huge issue for France, as about 20 per cent of crop protection products are used on vines, but vines cover only 3 per cent of the country’s agricultural land.

Reducing the amount of pesticides used would