PLEASE RESPOND DIRECTLY TO DR MARTRE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS
POSITION

 

A position is available with INRA Clermon-Ferrand in 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.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/bab/mas-projects/NUE.html
<http://www.rothamsted.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.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/bab/mas-projects/NUE/Downloads/PostD
ocINRA.pdf>
<http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk/bab/mas-projects/NUE/Downloads/PostDo
cINRA.pdf> :

 

Best regards,

Jeff

 

Jeffrey W. White

USDA ARS, ALARC

21881 N Cardon Lane

Maricopa, AZ 85239, USA