All components of crop production need to be accounted for to fulfil the objectives of sustainable agriculture. Among theses components, management of pest profiles (pathogens, insects and weeds) that can be complex, and long-term maintenance of soil health are important objectives that research has to address. In this context of sustainability, pest management must contain pest epidemics at levels and with means that are compatible with quantitative and qualitative requirements for agricultural production. Pest management thus relies on knowledge of the development of epidemics, and of the damage they cause. Related research focuses on the analysis of epidemiological processes, and on environmental factors (climate, cropping practices) that explain pest dynamics and yield losses. This knowledge can be mobilised to develop strategies for pest management that are adapted to the diversity of existing production situations.

      EPSOS develops research on (1) the epidemiology of soilborne diseases on wheat, carrot, pea and potato and (2) the analysis of the functioning and performance of agrosystems exposed to injury profiles.

      The choice of the research area corresponds to strategic stakes :
- Soilborne diseases require a specific effort in research to (1) mobilise and increase our knowledge on mechanisms, (2) model the dynamics related to the environment, (3) analyse, understand and model the nested spatial patterns of these epidemics.
- Pest profiles: in a pest management perspective, field reality is not limited to one disease in one crop canopy. Most often, a crop is exposed to a range of pests whose structure, dynamics and damage are determined by the agronomic and environmental characteristics of the crop. Pest management must therefore account for these complex systems, simplify them on the basis of a scientific background, so as to identify management options fitting to the systems.