Know more

Topic: Study of nitrogen status and plant resistance inducers (PRI) interactions for the best trade-off between apple tree productivity and immunity

Summary: 

Use of plant resistance inducers (PRI) are one of the crop protection strategies mobilized to reduce the use of pesticides (Walters et al. 2013; doi:10.1093/jxb/ert026). Some PRI perform well in controlled conditions, but their efficiencies are often reduced in field systems. Field/orchard environmental conditions and crop management affect plant physiological status and therefore probably modify their receptiveness and/or response to PRI treatments. In particular, nitrogen fertilisation impacts on PRI efficiency and its consequences on plant immunity have not yet been deeply investigated.
The scientific challenge of the PhD project is to understand the interactions between nitrogen and PRI induced resistance. At the socioeconomic level, it is to establish a nitrogen fertilisation strategy to maximise plant induced resistance as well as a sustainable production. The PhD project focuses on apple trees, a culture with the highest treatment frequency index and under the threat of the ban of massively used fungicides as soon as 2025.

Informations:

Lab: Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences (IRHS) - Respom team, Angers (France)

Supervisors: Marie-Noëlle Brisset (marie-noelle.brisset@inrae.fr) and: Mathilde Orsel (mathilde.orsel-baldwin@inrae.fr), Mickaël Delaire (mickael.delaire@agrocampus-ouest.fr)

Graduate school: EGAAL

All details, objectives and skills described below:

To apply online, please click here or send your cover letters & CVs to marie-noelle.brisset@inrae.fr