About the Project
As agricultural systems face more and more constraints due to climate change, identifying and developing new crop cultivars able to make production more resilient is a priority. In this context, root systems play a major role as an essential component of the tolerance against abiotic stress (water deficit or excess, nutrition deficiency) and for their contribution to carbon storage in soils.
Addressing root traits for breeders, geneticists and agronomists is a real challenge that needs efficient tools: root phenotyping tools both in field and controlled conditions, genetic tools with a set of relevant markers and genetic resources and modelling tools to extrapolate the results in other environments and agricultural contexts.
The Root2Res project aims to design new tools for evaluating root traits, understanding the genetic control of root and rhizosphere function, and studying interactions between plant roots and microbiota to develop more sustainable and drought-adaptive crop varieties.
The successful candidate of this fully funded PhD position will work under the Root2Res Project (Root phenotyping and genetic improvement for rotational crops resilient to environmental change).
Main Purpose of this fellowship
The incumbent will generate and use extensive above and below ground phenotypic data obtained through traditional approaches in field trials and in experiments using ICARDA Physiotron (A state-of-the-art lysimeter) and link it to data generated from multi-sensor remote-sensing approaches using a phenomobile equipped with multi-spectral, RGB cameras and a LiDAR; and a multi-sensor bridge linked to the lysimeter to develop predictive models for traits of interest. The aim to participate in the development of proxies for root traits that avoid the use of time-consuming destructive methods.
About ICARDA
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.
ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org
All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.
Main responsibilities
- Organize and carry data collection with Phenomobile of the Root2Res trials in Morocco.
- Organize and carry phenotypic data collection in the field and in the Physiotron experiment.
- Implement trait prediction models based on phenotypic data collection and remote sensing data collected by Phenomobile and Physiotron multi-sensor bridge.
- Assist in any other activities of Root2Res project.