Abdelhafid Bendahmane, doubly funded by the European Research Council

Domestic and wild insects play an essential role in pollination, thus contributing to equilibrium in natural ecosystems and agricultural systems.

Around 35% of what we eat is the result of insect pollination. Indeed, insects are required for reproduction in 90% of flowering plants, a group that includes fruits (e.g., apples, pears, strawberries), vegetables (e.g., greenhouse tomatoes, melons, zucchini), and field crops (e.g., rapeseed, sunflower). To date, scientists have identified about 20,000 bee species. However, it is estimated that 10% have gone extinct and that others are in the process of disappearing.

Making flowers more attractive

The reliance of our food systems on these vulnerable insects underscores the need to protect pollinators and the effectiveness of their pollination services. This task is essential in a world facing food security challenges. Abdelhafid Bendahmane is an INRAE research director who specialises in flower development and sex determination. Focusing on the above concerns, he has developed a research project entitled NectarGland - Study of developmental, morphological, and chemical cues in relation to bee foraging. NectarGland has just been funded via a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, the second such award in Abdelhafid’s brilliant career.

The project’s goal is to create a set of tools for making flowers and crop plants more attractive to bees. The idea is to modify plant structure and chemistry to, ultimately, boost the sustainability of yields. NectarGland will explore the molecular mechanisms at play and thereby clarify the long history of co-evolution between plants and pollinators. The resulting knowledge will help us navigate the major global transitions underway, including those involving agricultural systems.

More specifically, Abdelhafid and his team will study how the genetic differences underlying plant structures (e.g., flowers, nectar glands) result in distinct varieties. They will also precisely measure plant characteristics. The objective is to determine whether crops have lost certain bee-attracting traits as a consequence of modern agricultural practices. Then, they will explore whether such traits can be reintroduced. 
They will centre their attention on members of the melon family, such as cucumbers, watermelons, and pumpkins. Abdelhafid and his team have long been studying these species, building a vast pool of exploitable knowledge. Paradoxically, these plants can be pollinated by numerous bee species, yet they display low production quality because of poor pollination levels. This issue is of great import because the world's poorest farmers depend on these crops for their livelihoods.

With this award, ERC is honouring the long research path that Abdelhafid and his collaborators have embarked upon. They will put their extensive skills to work identifying the major genes that control plant traits attractive to bees, delve into the development of the nectar gland, and develop a breeding roadmap for varieties that accounts for the agroecological impacts of farming practices.

However, Abdelhafid’s success extends beyond NectarGland. 

Understanding plant sex determination could improve crop yields

In 2013, Abdelhafid received his first ERC Advanced Grant for a project entitled SexyParth - Unravelling sex determination and parthenocarpy mechanisms to improve crops. The research objective was to describe the mechanisms underlying sex determination and parthenocarpy in plants, with a view to improving crop species. Parthenocarpy is a plant’s ability to produce seedless fruit, that is to say to produce fruit in the absence of fertilisation. This funding allowed him and his team to perform numerous molecular and phenotypic analyses that led to the creation of new plant prototypes.

A couple of patents and publications later, Abdelhafid has built on the foundation established by SexyParth and has just received an ERC Proof of Concept Grant for the project HybridSeed - Sex determination genes as a toolbox for F1 hybrid seed production and yield increase. It is his second award of the ERC 2022 funding season and the third ERC award of his career.
HybridSeed represents an opportunity to explore the potential innovations fuelled by SexyParth’s findings. It also means Abdelhafid’s work will move from the laboratory to the field, where his genome-based discoveries can be validated. He is up to the challenge, which he is tackling with scientific zeal. He is also experiencing a bit of apprehension, given that this new research role will take him to the edge of his comfort zone.

Mini-CV

57 years old

•  Career
  2015  Became associate director of the Paris Saclay Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS2)
  2005  Became a research director at INRAE
  1999  Became a research scientist at INRA
  1997–1999  Associate researcher at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich (UK)
• Education
  1996  PhD in Plant Biology from the University of East Anglia in Norwich (UK)
  1991  Master of Advanced Studies in Phytopathology from the University of Paris XI
• Awards and distinctions
  2023 Advanced Grant & Proof of Concept Grant, European Research Council
  2022 Gold Medal, French Academy of Agriculture
  2018  INRA Scientific Breakthrough Award
  2016  La Recherche Award
  2014  Georges Morel Prize, Academy of Sciences
  2013  Advanced Grant, European Research Council
  2012  Vilmorin et Cie Award
  2009  Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Award