Catherine DOGIMONT

I am a Research Director in the Genetics and Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables unit at the PACA Centre in Avignon. 

My research project aims to mobilize the genetic diversity of crop species to better understand the beneficial interactions between plants and pollinating insects within sustainable agroecosystems. 

My work aims to identify the molecular basis and evolutionary history of plant traits that contribute to attractiveness to pollinators and to the reward provided to insects for their pollination services. It also aims to expand the genetic diversity available for the selection of new traits for high-performance and agroecological agriculture. 

I conduct my research on melon (Cucumis melo), a vegetable species in the Cucurbitaceae family that is entirely dependent on pollinators for reproduction. I identify the genes involved in floral biology and the reproductive barriers between cultivated and wild pools, as well as between cultivated and related wild species of the genus Cucumis.

 My research is based on the exploration of both the natural diversity of melon and the induced diversity in an EMS-mutagenized melon population. I identify the molecular bases of traits using various approaches, including gene and QTL mapping, positional cloning and functional characterization, and reverse genetics, including new sequencing and editing technologies.

https://cv.hal.science/catherine-dogimont