Research teams

The Plant Observatory - Plant Facilities

PO-Plants 15 members 7 IJPB publications (2006-to date)

The plant growth observatory platform (Observatoire du Végétal - Cultures de Plantes) hosts glasshouses and growth chambers dedicated to the production of high-quality material for IJPB research projects. It is also available upon request for public and private laboratories.
The diversity of our equipment allows growing all types of plants in all types of environmental conditions, including confined conditions when using pathogens.


Biological Question  

The plant growth observatory platform (Observatoire du Végétal Cultures de Plantes) is dedicated to the production of high-quality material for research projects developed at IJPB or in associated laboratories. It also allows amplifying seed collections for internal storage or distribution to the national and international scientific communities.  


Models, tools and methods  

The plant growth observatory platform (Observatoire du Végétal Cultures de Plantes) consists in 3500 m² glasshouses, among which 60% are equipped with adiabatic cooling systems, and 300 m² growth chambers (air-conditioned rooms). 100 m² of glasshouses and 76 m² of growth chambers are hosted on a security platform (biological level 3), which allows performing experiments using quarantine organisms, including pathogens. Plants grown currently include laboratory models such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Brachypodium distachyon, Nicotiana benthamiana, as well as crops of agronomical interest (maize, pea, rapeseed, tomato, etc). These facilities are managed by technical and centralized management. The platform team comprises a scientific manager, 11 glasshouse keepers and 3 maintenance workers.  


Societal and economical impacts  

The plant growth observatory platform (Observatoire du Végétal Cultures de Plantes) can be used by all at IJPB. It also provides services for public or private laboratories that do not have sufficient infrastructure, in particular when dealing with confinement conditions and quarantine organisms.
The Plant Observatory - Plant Facilities

Platform Heads:

Lilian Dahuron, Jean Landerneau &
Hervé Vaucheret
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