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PhD student Research team: EcoPEPS e-mail: antoine.grandin@unicaen.fr Tel: +33(0)2 31 56 56 59 Location : CAMPUS 1, Building J3, Door IR 059 Address: Université de Caen Normandie, CS 14032 Esplanade de la paix, 14032 CAEN CEDEX 5, France

Research activities

PhD student in confidential CIFRE thesis, employed by Algaia under the supervision of Franck HENNEQUART, my thesis is entitled "Improvement of the resistance of grassland and vegetable species to climate change by biostimulant compounds of algal origin: development of bioassays and understanding of the mechanisms of action" and is carried out under the management of Marie-Pascale PRUD'HOMME and Annette MORVAN-BERTRAND

Abiotic stresses are widely known to affect plant growth and development, and their duration and severity can have a direct impact on crop yields and grassland sustainability. In climate change context, these stresses have been amplified, including drought. However, the use of biostimulants is a promising way to mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses. In order to control these uses and to ensure the reliability of the products used, European Union has made a new legislation (EU 2019/1009).

In order to mitigate the effect of abiotic stresses and to answer this legislation, it is important to develop reliable and reproducible screening tools, but especially to understand the underlying mechanisms of action "triggered" by biostimulants. Therefore, my research work will be divided into two main axes:

Axis 1: Development of bioassays on ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and cultivated leeks (Allium ampeloprasum).

Axis 2: Understanding the mechanisms of action of biostimulant compounds isolated from algae.

Previous Research Activities

2018 - 2021: Engineer on the AlgoEVA project: "Valorization of algae in Normandy for agriculture and animal health sectors: Interest of macro-algae, their extracts and bioactive molecules derived from them, in the fields of plant production and equine health."

• Development of a reproducible bioassay to study the biostimulant effect of products of algal origin in the drought resistance of ryegrass (Lolium perenne).

Research team: Marie-Pascale PRUD'HOMME, Annette MORVAN-BERTRAND, Franck HENNEQUART, Marine DEHAIL, Jérémy BREBION, Paul MOULIN, Valentin DUBOIS.

2017 - 2018: Engineer on the AgriZH project: "Agriculture and wetlands: balance between ecosystem services in the marshes of Cotentin."

• Study of ecosystem services provided by peaty marsh meadows and realization of a "Self-assessment booklet of ecosystem services of marsh meadows."

Research team: Servane LEMAUVIEL-LAVENANT, Sylvain DIQUELOU, Nicolas FILLOL, Lisa LE LEVIER

Supervision

• Paul MOULIN during his M1 and M2 internships.
• Valentin DUBOIS during his M2 internship.

Publications

• Morvan-Bertrand A, Grandin A, Coulon M, Dubois V, Moulin P, Prud’homme M-P (2022) Involvement of fructans in the protection of leaf meristems of grassland species during drought. In Grassland at the heart of circular and sustainable food systems (eds. L. Delaby, R. Baumont, V. Brocard, S. Lemauviel-Lavenant, S. Plantureux, F. Vertes and J.L. Peyraud), Grassland Science in Europe, vol. 27, pp. 442-444.

Last degree obtained

2017: Master ECOCAEN " Sciences of continental and coastal environments ", specialty " Agri-environmental management and valorization."