End of the road for Shehyar Iqbal’s PhD !

From left to right, the two PhD supervisors: Marion Zapater (INRAE, BioEcoAgro) and Maryse Brancourt-Hulmel (INRAE, BioEcoAgro), Shehyar Iqbal, and the jury members Emily Heaton (visio, University of Illinois), Emilie Skowron (visio, Novabiom), Anne Laperche (INRAE, IGEPP), Jacques Le Gouis (INRAE, GDEC), Loïc Strullu (INRAE, BioEcoAgro) and Komlan Avia (INRAE, SVQV).

One of the main objectives is to produce high biomass while enhancing positive environmental impacts, thereby contribution to ecosystem services -- that is, benefits useful to society. To support the ecosystem service of water regulation in catchment areas and preserve drinking water quality, one approach is to identify genotypes capable of absorbing large amounts of nitrogen, thereby reducing excess soil nitrate. Another service of support relates to nutrient cycling, where the goal is to identify genotypes that efficiently recycle nitrogen.

In this context, his research initiated the development of phenotyping protocols to characterize nitrogen economy in this perennial species, alongside yield optimization within an M. sinensis progeny. The first results are encouraging and pave the way toward optimized breeding programs to develop miscanthus varieties adapted to varying nitrogen levels in agricultural fields. He highlighted different nitrogen-use strategies in miscanthus, with genotypes displaying different balances between nitrogen uptake and recycling. The remaining results are currently being prepared for publication and will be hopefully available online soon.

The defense was followed by a 1h30 discussion with experts from different backgrounds, focused on the perspectives and potential impacts on the miscanthus sector. After these discussions, Shehyar was granted the title of doctor by the jury member, and the evening concluded with a shared Pakistani-French meal.

Join us in congratulating Shehyar for his success, as well as his two PhD supervisors, Maryse Brancourt-Hulmel and Marion Zapater, who supported him throughout. We wish him great success in his career, especially for his coming post-doc in Australia !