Research interests
Description and understanding of the components of fleshy fruit quality, considering genetic and plant controls, in relation to the environment and cultural practices. Research is conducted from the viewpoint of a quantitative integration of physiological functions in models explaining fruit development and quality. With this approach, scientific innovation emerges as much from the integrative viewpoint as from process descriptions. Several simulation models describing the main physiological processes involved in cell division, DNA endoreduplication, fruit growth, sugar and acid accumulation, ethylene metabolism and sensitivity to brown rot have been done. Those models has been integrated in a Virtual Fruit model which can be used to analyse phenotypes following a virtual profiling approach.