Plant Health Institute of Montpellier - UMR PHIM

Joint Research Unit (UMR) BIOS Department

UMR PHIM builds knowledge and solutions to improve plant health and boost productivity and quality within a context in which an estimated 20 to 40% of agricultural output worldwide is lost due to damage from pests and diseases.

Hani farmer in the rice terraces of Yuanyange, China © C. Vernière, CIRAD
Hani farmer in the rice terraces of Yuanyange, China © C. Vernière, CIRAD

A substantial proportion of global agricultural output is destroyed each year by pathogens and parasites, while climate change only exacerbates their adverse effects, particularly in developing regions in the global South with substantial population growth rates. The numerous interactions between the different components of agro-ecosystems that govern plant health, growth and yields, are often not fully understood.

PHIM has experimental facilities in Montpellier, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Kenya and China.

Our objectives and remits

To understand how plants interact with microbes/bio-aggressors .
To analyse the impact of these exchanges on its health .
To propose solutions to ensure good crop productivity.

The joint research unit is structured around for research hubs

Plant-pathogen interactions – ITEM
Virus-vector-plant interaction – VIROM
Understanding the phytobiome –PHYTOBIOM
Understanding epidemics in the field – PRISM

Approaches and disciplines used

Molecular biologie and genetics
Population genetics and genomics
Epidemiology
Population dynamics and modelling

A wide range of plants studied

Mediterranean and tropical cultivated plants
Model plants
Pathogen reservoir plants

On all study scales

From laboratory to field
From individuals to communities
Analysing short-term interactions and long-term co-evolution