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Contacts : E-Mail elise.forgues@inrae.fr    Linkedin

Career
Curious of microbiology since her discovery of the discipline in undergraduate studies at Lyon 1 University, Elise continued her studies with a master's degree in the field, exploring yeasts as well as bacteria and fungi, whether in insects, humans or plants.
After obtaining her Master's degree in Molecular Microbiology, Pathogenesis and Microbial Ecology in Lyon, she crossed France to join the INRAE-MycSA laboratory at the end of 2023. During the three years of her thesis, Elise will be studying the impact of agroforestry on Fusarium spp., in particular on the species Fusarium graminearum, the main cause of Fusarium Head Blight in wheat.

Job description and activities
Thesis subject
Impact of agroforestry in field crops on fungal pathogen populations: what are the possible consequences for Fusarium Head Blight on wheat?
Grant funding
Funding from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Supervisors
Marie FOULONGNE-ORIOL

Summary of thesis project
The aim of this thesis project is to study the impact of agroforestry associated with cereal crops on populations of fungal pathogens responsible for fusariosis. The presence of trees near wheat plots may have an effect on pathogens, either directly as pathogen reservoirs, or indirectly by modifying microclimatic conditions favorable to their development. These two hypotheses will be explored using population genomics approaches, at both interspecific and intraspecific levels. The aim will be to assess possible flows of fusarium species between plant compartments, and to study the extent to which the presence of trees can influence pathogen population dynamics. A comparative genomics study will identify any traces of host specialization. These data will also be compared with microclimatic data available elsewhere to identify certain environmental factors that play a decisive role in pathogen population structuring and disease development. The results of this thesis project will contribute to the still very limited scientific knowledge on the epidemiology of Fusarium head blight on an agroforestry landscape scale.

Keywords: Fusarium spp., reservoir, population genetics, gene flow