Project: Induction of sugarcane natural defenses to biotic stressors

ANRT CIFRE financing between INRAe/Agrocampus-Ouest and Roullier GroupDissertation: Induction of PAMP-Triggered Immunity by elicitors of different origin in Solanum tuberosum-Led potato greenhouse trials and in vitro assays of bacteria, fungi and oomycetes to test plant defense-inducing products-Developed leaf sample analysis protocol for high-throughput qRT-PCR: primer designs, adequacy of RNA extraction protocol, RT-qPCR analysis in 384-well and 5184-nanowell plates, data analysis in software: LightCycler, Wafergen, and R Statistics.-Target genes: PR’s, Phenylpropanoid, Flavonoid, Alkaloid, and Phytohormones genes-Developed leaf sample analysis protocol for mass spectrometry (LC-MS): extraction of secondary metabolites, sample analysis with standard metabolites, and data analysis in software: ProgenesisQI, MetaboAnalyst, Masslynx, and R Statistics-Trained and supervised 6 undergraduate students and 4 master students in projects related to PhD project. Supervised 2 biostatisticians (master level) in big data analysis of RT-qPCR and LC-MS-Managed financial operations of a public and private project-Facilitated communication in meetings at the research institute and sponsoring company

Responsible for biocontrol projects in greenhouse: Preparation of microorganism inoculum in quarantine laboratory and plant testing. Participation in the quarantine greenhouse adaptation project.

Responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the projects:- Influence of low temperatures in the rearing of Lepidoptera species- Rearing of Lepidoptera colonies resistant to Bt technologies- Rearing of species of Coccinellidae (ladybirds) for pest control in green houseActivities developed:-Reared insects of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera orders, and controlled bacterial and fungal contamination in the rearing of insects-Elaborated technical documents: standard operating procedures and job safety analysis-Performed artificial infestation of pests and evaluated their damage level in corn and sugarcane field and greenhouse trials-Trained industry collaborators and farmers in identifying soybean, corn, cotton and sugarcane key pests

Thesis: Research of new natural elicitors by their bio-stimulant and phyto-protection actions-Tested new molecules in tobacco, cultivated in hydroponics and substrate in greenhouse-Conducted phytohormone analysis by mass spectrometry (UPLC-qTOF-MSe)-Directed potato and barley field trials conducted by a third-party company-Participated in tests of elicitors in tomato and Arabidopsis spp. for structural modifications studies, in partnership with Rouen University research teams