The unit
“Faculté Pluridisciplinaire de Nador (FPN)” is an academic establishment that belongs to the “Université Mohammed Premier” (www.ump.ma).
The faculty has more than 20,000 students and is located in Seloaune, Nador, Morocco. Scientific research is one of the major priorities of the establishment. Several research disciplines exist within the FPN. The faculty is committed and involved in the economic, social and environmental improvement of the region and the country and also develops activities involving studies and research to solve problems related to agriculture and the environment.
The “Applied Biology and Biotechnology Research Team (ERBBA)” is a research structure and platform located within the FPN. ERBBA is part of the Laboratory of “Bio-resources, Biotechnologies, Ethno-pharmacology and Health (LBBES)”. ERRBA’s mission is to promote scientific research and the transfer of technology. Multidisciplinary and complementarity constitute the foundations of this structuring.
The lines of research are oriented towards sustainable development and promotion in the fields of the environment, agriculture, marine sciences, biochemistry, microbiology and biotechnology.
The scientific objectives of the team consist of the management of natural resources, environment preservation, optimization of agricultural production and the orientation towards sustainable agriculture, the development of solutions based on the biotechnological exploitation of microorganisms in agriculture and environment.
MAIN ACTIVITIES
Main activities within the project will include the detailed Phenotypical characterization of a core collection of eggplant accessions under water shortage conditions (50% of the optimal supply) in open field.
The most diverging eggplant accessions selected from the preliminary screenings conducted at CREA, BATEM and UMP will be subjected to deep characterization in multiple years for phenotypic traits, yield, performance, photosynthetic efficiency, metabolomic profile of fruits and Plant microbiota promoting tolerance to drought and heat stress in field conditions under reduced-water supply.
