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Post doctoral position in crop modeling at INRA, France

The postdoctoral research fellow will work as part of a young interdisciplinary team in an exciting bilateral research initiative between France (UMR1095 GDEC, Clermont-Ferrand) and Great Britain (University of Nottingham, John Innes Centre, and Rothamsted Research) (http://www.rothamst ed.bbsrc. ac.uk/bab/ mas-projects/ NUE.html). This project aims at a better understanding of the ecophysiological and genetic determinism of high nitrogen use efficiency and high and stable grain protein concentration under variable environment for bread wheat. The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary group of scientists (crop physiologists, modellers, geneticists, and molecular biologists) actively working on wheat ecophysiology and genetics, and developing the SiriusQuality1 wheat simulation model [Plant Physiol. 133(4)1959-1967; Eur. J. Agron. 25(2):138-154] . This model is designed to simulate mechanistically, at the square meter scale, wheat development, growth, and dry matter and nitrogen allocations. It allows to better understand genotype x environment interactions and to decompose complex traits, such as NUE and grain protein concentration, into elementary processes and traits, which are independent of the environment.

The successful applicant will be in charge of the model validation based on the large experimental dataset obtained during the first part of the project. This dataset includes two years, 4 locations, 16 genotypes and 2 nitrogen fertilisation treatments. This work should highlight the possible lack in the model framework and lead to their correction.

In a second time a global sensitivity analysis of the entire model input variables and parameters should be performed. This work aims at detecting parameters that are proxies for true and simple physiological traits that have stable effects on variable of interest like yield, grain protein concentration and nitrogen use efficiency. The genetic determinism of the physiological traits identified through simulation analysis will then be analysed for several related mapping populations (QTL detection). The latter part of the work will be performed by the geneticists involved in the project. The results of these researches should identify physiological traits and genetic loci associated with improved stability of grain protein concentration and high nitrogen use efficiency while conserving high grain yield potential.

For the full announcement, please see the project web site at :<http://www.rothamst ed.bbsrc. ac.uk/bab/ mas-projects/ NUE/Downloads/ PostDocINRA. pdf>:

Best regards,

Muthu

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Bev Godard
Secretary 
Department of Plant Science
University of Manitoba
66 Dafoe Road
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 2N2
Phone: (204) 474-8563
Fax:     (204) 474-7528
Bev_Godard@umanitoba.ca