L3 - Licence Professionnelle - Plant Experimentation for the Improvement and Protection of Mediterranean and Tropical Plants (EVAPPMT)

In the first part, this module aims to give a general culture around plant breeding. A historical analysis of plant breeding is carried out in order to initiate a reflection on the evolution of the speed of genetic progress, ideotypes and also the profession of breeder.

In a second part, the different methodologies for improving germplasms and for creating are described. The patterns conventionally used in selection such as backcross, recurring selections, pedigree selections and diallele tests are described in detail. Part of the course is also used to give tools to reason / follow these selection schemes (e.g. AGC/AUC calculations, heritability calculations, genotype evaluation statistics, etc.). These theoretical courses are also illustrated by courses given by different actors in plant breeding.

Example of interventions:

• Arnaud Boisnard (CFR): course on rice breeding in the Camargues
• Frederic Bakry (CIRAD): course on banana selection
• André Clement-Demange (CIRAD): course on rubber tree selection
• Vincent Gensollen (GEVES): visit of GEVES Montpellier

Experimentation in conservative selection is addressed in a third part of the course. The different methods of seed production and the different ways of improving seed production and quality are dealt with through the intervention of professionals.

Examples of interventions:

• Sophie Colénot (Bayer) experience in seed production
• David Martinez (Clause Hm) seed quality experimentation

In addition to the lectures, students must present a presentation in which they must develop a breeding program for a crop species. To prepare for this presentation, the student must put into practice what he has seen in class and also have exchanges with selectors.

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This module begins with an upgrade in molecular and cellular biology. Then, the courses present the impact of biotechnologies on genetic progress. Finally, a description of the different biotechnologies useful in plant breeding is carried out. These biotechnologies are classified into two groups: (i) those that make it possible to create or propagate interesting mutations (mutagenesis, polyploidization, haplo-diploid methods, in vitro culture, transgenesis, genome editing, etc.) and (ii) those that promote the recombination of mutations (interspecific crosses, somatic hybridization, molecular labeling, etc.). These courses are illustrated by interventions carried out by professionals.

Examples of courses taught by professionals:

• Frédéric BAKRY (CIRAD) Banana biotechnology
• Léo HERBERT (CIRAD): CrispR on vines and rice
• Sébastien TISNE (CIRAD): biotechnologies in oil palm improvement

9 hours of practical work on in vitro cell cultures (tobacco, potato, carrot cell culture,...) and microsatellite genotyping and QTL research on a biparental rice population.

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This course is offered to students of the professional L3 "Plant Experimentation for the Improvement and Protection of Mediterranean and Tropical Plants". Its objective is to present (or recall, depending on the students' curriculum) the basic notions of agronomy concerning (1) the functioning of the "plant" system in interaction with its environment and ecosystem, (2) the soil parameters influencing plant growth, and (3) the climate parameters influencing the development and yield of the crop. Some important topics (plant pathology, soil ecology, experimentation, irrigation, yield modelling) are then further developed through specialised interventions. The manipulation of these notions and the relationships between these notions is worked on in the context of plant experimentation through the study of articles or case studies.

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After reminders on statistical inference (estimation, tests on one or two populations), the course introduces the classical experimental designs used in agronomy for one or two factors and focuses on the usual statistical approaches related to them (ANOVA, linear Gaussian model with fixed effects). The emphasis is on the conditions underlying the application of statistical methods, the validation of the statistical models used and the interpretations of the software outputs. The R software, under the Commander interface, is used for statistical processing.

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This module aims to provide some tools for integration within a company. It is organized in:

Lectures / Practical work

• Franc-Christophe BAURENS (CIRAD) – Safety rules (laboratory greenhouse)
• Ludovic MARIN (UM- staps) – Postures at work CM and heavy load carrying (TP in Gymnasium)     

Visits to companies. The company visits are divided into two parts.

• Hiring exercise. 15 days before the visit, students receive a job offer sent by the company. Students have one week to respond (CV + cover letter). On the day of the visit, a debriefing on CVs and cover letters is carried out by a member of the company in charge of recruitment.
• Visit of the facilities.

The companies visited are:

• Bayer (Nîmes). Example of a seed company. From varietal creation to seed distribution.
• Staphyt (Marsillargues). Example of a plant experimentation company. Description of the conduct of a test from A to Z. Discussion on the jobs of technician/experimental leader.
• CTIFL (Balladran). Example of a technical center. Descriptions of the activities of the technical centre and visit of the experiments carried out in the greenhouses.
• CIRAD (Montpellier). Visit of the greenhouses and descriptions of the experiments carried out there.

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This course is offered to students of the professional L3 "Plant Experimentation for the Improvement and Protection of Mediterranean and Tropical Plants". Its objective is to give students the conceptual basics of plant physiology in order to understand cultural practices. The following major themes of plant physiology will be addressed by presenting the contributions of Functional Biology for the detailed understanding of processes at the molecular and cellular level:

• Water nutrition and reasoned irrigation,
• N, P, K nutrition, inputs and agroecology,
• C3 and C4 photosynthesis;
• Relationship between water and carbon nutrition,
• Caulinar and root vegetative development,
• Floral transition, fertilization, seed and fruit development
• The main plant hormones

Practical exercises will be carried out in order to learn how to build an experimental protocol to study a physiological process

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In the form of lectures, tutorials and practical work, students will explore different aspects of phytopathology experiments:

• To know the different phytopathogenic organisms (viruses, viroids, phytoplasmas, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects, weeds)
• To know how phytopathogenic microorganisms work.
• To know the defense mechanisms of plants against phytopathogenic microorganisms
• To know the mechanisms of circumvention of phytopathogenic microorganisms to resistance genes and phytosanitary products.
• Acquire notions of epidemiology.

Many researchers from CIRAD, INRA, IRD and Supagro participate in this module.

During the practical work, an experiment in pathology is set up (cultivation of the pathogen, cultivation of plants, inoculation, reading of symptoms, pathogen count, catalase activity)

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After defining intensive agriculture and analyzing its risks/benefits, this module will enable students to reflect on the various possible ways of moving agriculture towards an agroecological approach. Examples include biopesticides, ecological intensification and soil management. A visit to a company involved in sustainable agriculture is also organized. The sites visited vary from year to year, depending on the wishes of the students and the availability of the companies. Examples of visits made as part of this module: Bayer, Vilmorin, Geves, CTIFL, sudExpé...

Licenciales.

Students will be asked to present a project or business start-up developing innovative proposals for changing cultivation practices, or any other use of plant products to reduce environmental impact.

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In this module, students in groups of 3 or 4 work on a concrete project, proposed by teacher-researchers or researchers from private companies, and thus put theoretical knowledge into practice. The project is being carried out in two stages.

The first step is carried out in the first half of the year. It consists of preparing an experiment at the scientific, statistical, technical and financial levels. This work will be punctuated throughout the first semester thanks to the realization of several oral "laboratory seminars" around several themes:

• Seminar 1: Bibliographic research on their tutored project theme.
• Seminar 2: Journal club, with a detailed analysis of a key article around their tutored project theme
• Seminar 3: Presentation of the experimental design and statistical processing of the data
• Seminar 4: Presentation of the material needs related to their experimentation.

The second stage is carried out in the second half of the year where the experiment will be set up, monitored and analysed. The schedule for the second semester is adapted in order to free up time for the regular monitoring of the experiment, which can be done in research laboratories such as those of the UMR AGAP of CIRAD or in a greenhouse (Bat65) of the university. This tutored project work is the subject of a 10-page report in English.

Examples of projects:

• Influence of the lunar calendar on the germination of Arabidopsis thaliana
• Analyzes the effect of inoculation with Phyllobacterium brassicacearum STM196 on the response of 15 rice varieties to salt stress
• Effect of Burkholderia vietnamensis on rice growth under hydroponic conditions
• Influence of intensity and light spectrum on stevia germination
• Effect of Glomus intraradices inoculation and rhizobium pisi inoculation, isolated or cumulative, on pea growth
• Influence of the lunar calendar on the growth of radish, carrot, lettuce, pea and nasturtium

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The EVAPPMT Pro license training provides a long-term internship (5 months): from the beginning of April to the end of August. This internship can take place in private companies or public laboratories, in France or abroad.

Examples of companies/laboratories hosting interns:

• Plant experimentation: Agrolis consulting, AgroXP, Staphyt, ...
• Technical Centers: CEHM, CEFEL, CTIFL, IFV...
• Biostimulant/biocontrol companies: Green elephant,...
• Seed company: CFR, Bayer, Technisem, Vilmorin, ...
• Public laboratory: AGAP (CIRAD/INRA), BPMP (CNRS/INRA),...
• Private laboratory: DNA-ID, Algosud,...

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In this module, different practices to evolve agricultural practices towards sustainable agriculture will be presented, discussed and criticized. Among these, the use of ADTs, alternative fertilizers, soil bacteria, and agroforestry will be treated in depth. The visit to the Restinclière site, of the Frayssinet company, makes it possible to make the concepts seen in class more concrete.

The students also have a 5-minute video to make around an agroecology practice.

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During this module, the differences and similarities between beneficial and pathogenic interactions are explored. An important part of the course is devoted to understanding the mechanisms involved in beneficial interactions (mycorrhizae, symbiotic bacteria, PGPR,...) and their potential for improving agricultural practices.   Another important part of the course concerns the regulations around the approval and also the experiments around biostimulants and biocontrol products.

Examples of external speakers:

• Karine GROSBEAU (Green Elephant): Regulations around biostimulants / biocontrol products

Two visits

• Green Elephant Visit: Bacterial Inoculum Production
• Staphyt visit: bio-control product trial, GEP, GLP and BEC

A practical work in which students have 3 sessions to conduct an experiment to test the effect of a PGPR on wheat growth under many conditions. Students must phenotype plants, make biochemical assays (sugar, nitrogen, chlorophyll,...) and measure enzymatic activities (catalase, nitrate reductase,...)

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