# Crop versus Wild : the two faces of the same coin for addressing global challenges of a sustainable fruit production

Véronique Decroocq

► To cite this version:

Véronique Decroocq. Crop versus Wild : the two faces of the same coin for addressing global challenges of a sustainable fruit production. 12. Rosaceae Genome Conference, IRTA-CRAG, May 2025, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain. hal-05114257

HAL Id: hal-05114257

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05114257v1

Submitted on 16 Jun 2025

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# Crop versus Wild : the two faces of the same coin for addressing global challenges of a sustainable fruit production

Keynote speaker: Véronique Decroocq

Wild plant relatives of cultivated crops (here called CWR) are now seen as crucial tools for tackling problems like climate change and food shortages. These wild counterparts hold a massive, largely unexplored wealth of genetic and physical traits. This diversity is essential for making crops more resilient to climate hazards and biotic stresses. This is especially true for wild fruit trees, which still exist in their original locations or in areas where they survived the last ice age. These wild fruit trees possess genes for traits like pest and disease resistance, and tolerance to harsh conditions. They can handle high salt levels, severe droughts, and adapt to poor soils or changing weather, all of which impact fruit quality and yield. Modern genomic tools and "omics" technologies, such as pangenomics and high-throughput metabolomics, allow scientists to understand the molecular basis of complex traits. This helps unravel how these wild trees adapt. This presentation will focus on wild relatives of stone fruit trees as examples. It will demonstrate how advanced "omics" data can be used to understand the molecular roots of important traits for fruit tree adaptation. By utilizing this genetic diversity and employing cutting-edge technologies, collaborative projects like the Horizon Europe FRUITDIV are vital. Such efforts have the potential to create fruit crops that can withstand climate change thus securing future fruit production.