HEC alumni visiting the IJPB

Twenty HEC alumni from the HEC Transition and HEC Agro-alimentaire clubs came to meet researchers at the IJPB to find out what fundamental research can do support the agricultural and agroecological transition in the face of climate change. They visited greenhouses (PO-Plants) and Phenoscope robots (PO-Pheno) of the Plant Observatory (PO).

The rate at which climate change is affecting crops means that traditional breeding techniques for cultivated varieties need to be revised, to speed up adaptation (water stress, new pests, etc.). Discussions focused on varietal selection, epigenetics, genome editing and new cultivation practices. In particular, genome editing was discussed as a way of accelerating plant adaptation.

The visit was coordinated by Nicolas Bouché, a specialist in epigenetics, with contributions from Sylvie Dinant, on carbon allocation in plants and soils, Loïc Rajjou, on seeds, and Pierre Hilson, on plant regeneration.