Plant nutrition physiology and agronomy

Coordinators

Michèle REISDORF-CREN (UVSQ - Université Paris-Saclay) and Sophie FILLEUR (Université Paris Cité).

Prerequisite

Fundamentals in plant physiology and metabolism at the undergraduate level in life sciences.

Objective

The TU combines the "whole plant" approach with a "field" approach, both through lectures, tutorials but especially during practical work (more than 50% of the TU). The practical sessions are particularly oriented on the nitrogen metabolism of plants. At the whole plant scale, students evaluate and compare wild Arabidopsis with nitrogen mobilization mutants, by performing biochemistry and image processing experiments. At INRAE, Grignon, the practicals  are carried out in the field. The students conduct non-destructive measurements of chlorophyll, flavonol and anthocyanin contents in the foliar epidermis using a portable leaf clip (DUALEX). The results are then analyzed and presented orally in English.

Format

Lectures: 12h

• Mineral nutrition (N, Absorption, assimilation, remobilization) and photosynthesis on the scale of the whole plant
• Nitrogen, carbon and water cycle at plot scale, soil studies
• Relationship between fertilization and yield (seed quality, biomass)

Tutorials: 8h

• Data analysis and modeling of growth and yield at plot scale

Practicals: 30h

• Phenotyping of wild and mutant Arabidopsis for nitrogen remobilization (ImageJ) and measurement of enzymatic activities in association with nitrogen nutrition (colorimetry and others)
• In-field measurement of chlorophylls, flavonoids, anthocyanins on plants (Dualex clamps)
• Soil analysis.

Bibliography

• Botanique : Biologie et physiologie végétales de Sylvie Meyer, Catherine Reeb, Robin Bosdeveix, Edition Maloine.
• Biologie végétale : Nutrition et métabolisme de Jean-François Morot-Gaudry, François Moreau, Roger Prat, Christophe Maurel, Hervé Sentenac, Edition Dunod.

French
Elective TU (Choice between this TU "Plant nutrition physiology and agronomy" and the TU "Genome engineering and interfering RNAs").
Lectures: 12h, Tutorials: 8h, Practicals: 30h
ECTS: 4
Location: Versailles - Grignon