Dr Sebastien Carpentier
Abiotic stress physiology and Phenotyping
Bioversity International is a global research-for-development organization that delivers scientific evidence, management practices, and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural biodiversity to attain global food and nutrition security. It works with partners in low-income countries in different regions where agricultural biodiversity can contribute to improved nutrition, resilience, productivity and climate change adaptation. Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Sebastien Carpentier from Bioversity International focuses on phenotyping the biodiversity of crops by integrating abiotic stress physiology with omics technology. Hosted by KULeuven, Sebastien and his team have the International collection of the tropical banana crop (Musa). The aim of the collection is to secure the long-term conservation of the crop’s gene pool and encourage the use of its accessions. The latter, however, requires an in-depth knowledge of the variability among the accessions. Therefore, the team is currently focusing on the characterization of this biodiversity towards suitability for certain crucial agro-eco zones. ICRISAT-GEMS – Bioversity International joint collaboration helps in the characterization of water transport pathways (Symplastic and apoplastic pathways) and water conservation traits in Banana germplasm and this knowledge might be useful in developing drought-adapted Banana varieties.