General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-24-0511
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Life Sciences
Thesis topics
RootExu-C : Plant genetic control of root exudation and microbiome assembly
Contract
Thèse
Job description
Ongoing breeding programs selected for crop varieties with high yield under favorable conditions: sufficient water supply (irrigation) and high levels of chemical fertilizers (N, P). However, increased abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, high temperatures) as well as ecological concerns demand for new traits to transition to more sustainable production systems. One approach may consist in better control and exploitation of root microbiota, which have the potential to protect their host plants from abiotic and biotic stresses, and to improve nutrition and productivity. It is assumed that plant innate immunity and root exudates scale and structure root microbiota, but exact mechanisms remain unknown. In this project, I propose to analyze “root-adhering soil” (RAS), the soil aggregated around roots, as a global proxy for shoot-to-root carbon allocation, root exudation and recruitment of exopolysaccharide-producing microbiota in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). A respective PhD student shall analyze the RAS trait in a tomato natural variation panel towards the identification of underlying genes. Further, he/she shall directly inactivate candidate genes assumedly involved in root exudation (multiplex CRISPR/Cas). Lines with contrasting RAS phenotypes, from natural and/or induced variation, will be analyzed for microbiota recruitment and exudate composition. This will provide fundamental knowledge on the genetic control of root exudation and microbiome assembly and scaling cues. RAS may represent a valuable trait for the adaptation and performance of plants under lower input conditions, and may also facilitate enhanced storage of carbon in agricultural soils.
University / doctoral school
Sciences de la Vie et de la Santé (SVS)
Aix-Marseille Université
Thesis topic location
Site
Cadarache
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2024
Person to be contacted by the applicant
STUTTMANN Johannes johannes.stuttmann@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/BIAM/SBVME/LEMIRE
Johannes STUTTMANN
BIAM – Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnologies of Aix-Marseille
LEMiRE [Rhizosphere and soil-plant-microbe interactions]
13115 Saint-Paul les Durance
UMR7265 CNRS/CEA/AMU
France
0750715573
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
STUTTMANN Johannes johannes.stuttmann@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/BIAM/SBVME/LEMIRE
Johannes STUTTMANN
BIAM – Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnologies of Aix-Marseille
LEMiRE [Rhizosphere and soil-plant-microbe interactions]
13115 Saint-Paul les Durance
UMR7265 CNRS/CEA/AMU
France
0750715573
En savoir plus
https://www.cite-des-energies.fr/chercheur/johannes-stuttmann/
https://www.cite-des-energies.fr/biam/recherche/lemire/