PhD in Sustainable development and cooperation

Contacts

Supervisor

Phd thesis

“Assessment of the effect of climate change on growth and physiological processes of
temperate and tropical tree crops”
Student: Sylvia Henintsoa
Tutor: Prof. Gabriele Beccaro
Climate change is a global concern on an unprecedented scale. With the variation of
precipitation and temperature due to this phenomenon, the native environment may become
restrictive for some cultivated and wild species. Therefore, the challenge of producing in a
limiting environment to satisfy global food needs must be taken up. Not only the agriculture
is threatened by climate change but also biodiversity in general. The adaptation of plant
species and existing agro-systems to the changing environment should be enhanced so as
not to compromise agricultural, forestry production and also for sustainable use of resources,
especially water. This can be achieved by studying plants’ response to environmental stress,
for instance hydric stress.
Depending on species, cultivation area and plants’ native environment, purposes of growing
the plants, crops may react differently to abiotic stress. During this work, we study two crops
from temperate and tropical environments. The first refers to chestnut (Castanea spp.), one
of the main cultivated fruit trees in Europe. The second one corresponds to an endemic
forest species from Madagascar known locally as “Ramy” (Canarium madagascariense
Engl.) with a phytotherapeutic and biodiversity preservation interest but also an endangered
species partly due to its difficulty to regenerate naturally.
The thesis focuses on studying the morphological and physiological behaviour of those tree
crops to hydric stress. In order to achieve this goal, we intend to conduct experiments on the
two species in greenhouse with different irrigation management and with the use of a
biostimulant. The crops will be subjected to different irrigation regimes. Morphological and
physiological parameters such as growth parameters, the gas rate exchange, the intensity of
the photosynthesis are monitored continuously.
In that way, the interrelation of morpho-physiological parameters with irrigation will be
established along with the identification of the most sensitive parameters of stress for each
species to predict stress effects on these ecosystems.