Benoît Alunni, INRAE Research Director in the SYNAPS team, is a microbiologist studying maize-microbiota interaction as a lever to reduce fertilizer use.
My research:
I am interested in analyzing the plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions that take place in the plant rhizosphere and in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi hyphosphere. My research aims at understanding how maize plants recruit their microbiota under limiting N supply and what services the microbiota provides to its host, especially focusing on nutrient flows and molecular signaling between partners. To do so, I develop microbial Synthetic Communities (SynCom) and analyze plant root/fungal exudates to decipher the role of specific molecules in the recruitment of the microbiota.
Since my arrival in the team in 2023, I obtained as coordinator:
- an INRAE BAP grant to analyze the role of maize rhizosphere microbiota in the plant nutrition under limiting N supply.
- an ANR PRCE grant (HyphAMaize 2025-2029) with colleagues from LRSV – Toulouse, Maiage/Migale – Jouy-en-Josas, GetPlaGe – Toulouse and Agronutrition – Labège, to decipher the metabolic interplay between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and hysphosphere-associated bacteria
- an InterCarnot 3BCar-Plant2Pro with colleagues from IJPB – Versailles and BBF – Marseille to study the effect of Miscanthus biomass digestates on maize immunity against corn smut
- an INRAE General Directorate-funded PhD fellowship to boost the ANR HyphAMaize project.
I am also partner of different projects:
- Université Paris-Saclay Agroecology program of the Biosphera Graduate School on maize aerial root mucilage microbiota (Coord. J. Fievet/R. Rincent – GQE Le Moulon)
- a Plant2Pro project focusing on the experimental evolution of the maize holobiont (Coord. M. Blouin, Agoécologie – Dijon)
- WP leader within the SOYSTAINABLE PIA4 project (Coord. JM. Couzigou, LRSV – Toulouse) aiming at developing soybean and associated microbes genetic resources to fuel the increase in soybean cultivation in France.
- a Métaprogramme INRAE Holoflux project (HOLPRO, coord. Pascal Piveteau, OPAALE - Rennes) to understand the effect of organic waste products on plant production and biosafety (flow of human pathogens from the technosphere vers the agrosphere).
- a Métaprogramme INRAE Holoflux project (HOLPRO, coord. Pascal Piveteau, OPAALE - Rennes) to understand the effect of organic waste products on plant production and biosafety (flow of human pathogens from the technosphere vers the agrosphere).
Administration:
- Deputy coordinator of Saclay Plant Sciences - Graduate School of Research
- Member of the INRAE BAP scientific council
- Treasurer and member of the board of the French Society for Plant Biology (SFBV)
- Member of the scientific council of the French Society for Phytopathology (SFP)
I am committed to teaching (ca 25h/year) at Université Paris-Saclay, in the Master course in Biologie Agrosciences - Plant Sciences.
I co-supervise the doctoral projects of Damien Fuster (with Eoghan King) and Joseph Mangoni-Mpay (with Alia Dellagi).
Google Scholar page - LinkedIn page
Google Scholar page - LinkedIn page
Mini-CV:
2023- INRAE Research Director
SYNAPS team, PI: A. Dellagi
IJPB – Plant Sciences, Versailles
2017 Habilitation (HDR) – Université Paris-Saclay
2009-2023 Assistant Professor Université Paris Saclay
2012-2023 Terminal bacteroid differentiation in Legume rhizobium-symbiosis
Plant-Bacteria Interaction Team, PI: P. Mergaert
I2BC, Gif-sur-Yvette
2009-2012 Response of common bean to microbial elicitors
Evolution of common bean NLR genes team, PI: V. Geffroy
IBP, Orsay
2008-2009 Post-Doc on bacterial pathogenesis in Dickeya dadantii
Regulation of pathogenesis team, PI: F. van Gijsegem
LPP AgroParisTech, Paris
2007-2008 Research and Teaching Assistant (ATER),
Université Paris Cité, Paris / ISV, Gif-sur-Yvette PI: M. Crespi/V. Gruber
Salt stress in the legume-rhizobium symbiosis
2007 PhD on Legume-rhizobium symbiosis,
Cellular differentiation of bacteroids in the legume-rhizobium symbiosis.
Legume-rhizobium symbiosis team, PI: E. Kondorosi/P. Mergaert
ISV, Gif-sur-Yvette
Contacts
Symbiotic Nitrogen Acquisition in Plant-Microbe SystemsEmail : benoit.alunni@inrae.fr