Professor Ahmad Sarrafi
Pôle de Biotechnologies Végétales
INP-ENSAT/INRA Toulouse Auzeville
18, Chemin de Borde Rouge
31326 CASTANET-TOLOSAN – France
Tel/Fax:05.34.32.38.80

Field of competences: genetics, plant breeding, molecular markers, bean, corn, barley, and sunflower

Up dated : February 15th 2010

SUMMARY

From 1963 to 1983 member of the University of Teheran, Faculty of Agriculture (associate professor).
Since 1983, member of the National Institute of Polytechnique (INP), Graduate School of Agronomy, Toulouse (professor).
Member of the SEVAB Doctoral School.

TEACHING

About 300h of courses every year at the Graduate School of Agronomy and the Paul Sabatier University.
Realization of 35 pedagogical power point presentation for the courses : "Selection Methodology", "Plant Genetics" and "Plant Improvement and Genetics".
Lectures at the National Institute of Agronomy (INA) in Tunis financed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs for master and PhD students (1994).
Lectures on industrial and agronomical valorization of Mediterranean crops in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria ("MED CAMPUS", 1995-1996).

RESEARCH

From 1963 to 1982, several research projects, which led me to create several varieties and to publish articles in international journals.
From 1983 to 1994, projects on barley and wheat quality improvement by the study of photosynthesis and haplo-diploidisation.
From 1995 to nowadays, projects on genetics of regeneration, mapping and QTLs detection in sunflower.
From 1990 to 2007, Supervisor or co-supervisor of 21 Phd students among which 4 received the Léopold Escande Price (best thesis of the INP).
Actually, I supervise 2 PhD research works.

PUBLICATION

I have published 214 articles: 108 in international journals with lecture committee (A), 23 in proceedings of international congresses with lecture committee (B), 37 in national journals and books (C) and 45 abstracts in proceedings of international congresses (D).
"Referee" of several international journals

TEACHING

Courses are designed as modules, which are:

Genetic and Plant Breeding
Methodology of Plant Breeding
Plant Breeding and Seed Certification
Biotechnology and Plant Protection

RESEARCH

A- Genetic control of agronomic characters in bean (see publications: A-1, A-2, A-3, A-5, A-6, A-7 and A-8)

Bean Common Mosaic Virus

B- Genetic control of yield and its components in different species (publications: A-4, B-1, B-2, B-5, D-11 and D-13)

_{Seedless watermelon (Mithra variety)}

C- Photosynthesis activity: Barley (publications A-9 and A-10) and Durum Wheat (publications B-11 and B-13)

Photosynthesis in wheat

D- Genetic control of quality: Barley (publications A-16, A-31) and Wheat (A-12 and A-18)

E- Genetic control of partial resistance to net blotch in Barley (publication: A-13, A-17, A-15, A-19, A-21 and A-22)

Partial resistance to Net Blotch in barley

F- Nucleocytoplasmic interaction (publication A-9 and A-14)

Alloplasmic lines

G- Genetic control of haploid regeneration (publications A-23, A-24, A-30, A-33, A-34, A-36, A-39, B-16 and B-19)

Pollinisation : Wheat x Corn

Haploid wheat embryo

Hybrid seeds

Durum wheat haploid plantlets

Haploid in hexaploid wheat

H- Molecular genetics of embryogenesis in sunflower

The goal of this project was to identify the genomic regions involved in the expression of embryogenesis.
As a first step, a classical quantitative genetics approach was developed, in order to evaluate organogenesis and embryogenesis parameters in various systems, in a quantitative way. It helped to establish the genetic components of the parameters studied.
The results obtained showed that organogenesis should exhibit a genetic control (A-79). As a second step, the molecular genetics of organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis was dissected, based on a linkage map of the sunflower genome constructed, using AFLPs (A-77), QTLs involved in organogenesis (A-77) and somatic embryogenesis were mapped (A-78). Further analyses showed coincidental colocations of QTL involved in embryogenesis, organogenesis and asymmetric protoplast division under embryonic conditions (A-75). Thus, in some way, common regulations could be speculated for these three developmental processes.

Organogenesis ability in two different genotypes

Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs)

I- New tools for sunflower breeding

Phenotypic traits putatively related to yield and its stability such as physiological characters, resistance to diseases and agronomic traits were investigated using molecular markers.
Several experiments were undertaken in order to develop a considerable knowledge of the genetics of these traits.

As far as physiological traits are concerned, 19 QTLs were detected explaining 8 to 62% of the phenotypic variance for photosynthesis, transpiration and water leaf potential. These results lead to the first description of the organization of genetic regions related to yield in sunflower (A-80).

In another programme resistance to downy mildew and to black stem in sunflower recombinant inbred lines and their two parents were investigated. Four putative QTLs for resistance to downy mildew presenting 54% of the total phenotypic variance were detected, whereas the seven QTLs identified for resistance to black stem explain 92% of variation for resistance to the disease (A-81). Crosses between RILs contracted for their resistance to these diseases, and exhibiting molecular polymorphism in detected QTLs, will help in order to focus more precisely on the genomic region of interest.

Within the framework of a contract with Syngenta Seeds Company two different sunflower populations each one containing 240 F3 families were used in order to construct their genetic map using AFLP and SSR markers.
Parents of each combination consisted of a high oleic acid seed content mutant and an inbred line with high agronomic values. Putative QTLs for oleic acid content in grain were identified and marker assisted selection was realized (contract with Syngenta Seeds Company: results are confindential for five years). One of these two F3 populations was also used in an experiment realized in field conditions and several QTLs for agronomy traits like, 1000 grain weight, % of oil in grain and seed weight per plant were identified. The % of phenotypic variance explained by QTLs for each trait was around 50 to 90% (A-82).

Sunflower genetic map :

Marker assisted selection for high oleic acid seed content in sunflower :

J- Sunflower mutant collection:

As a consequence of the use of large scale analyses, the development of new tools for high throughput genome and expression analyses in sunflower is one of the main goal in plant breeding..

To this respect, seeds of an inbred line (AS-613) created in our laboratory were irradiated by Gamma rays and some mutants out of a collection of 2000 mutants are already homozygous (M7) and present a high variability for agronomic traits when compared with the original inbred line (AS-613).
Crosses are already done between 5 mutants presenting differences for germination and plantlet development parameters, with the original inbred line (AS-613).
Our goal was to identify QTLs involved in embryo development and seed filling which are related to yield and quality. One of the mutants which is supper dwarf is presented.

Supper dwarf mutant

M4 mutants: late germination

M4 dwarf mutant

Different M4 mutants

CONTRACTS/COLLABORATIONS

Collaborations:

Prof. CAVALIER: Plant Physiology Center (Paul Sabatier University UPS - Toulouse). Genetic control of RUBISCO (Publications: A -14, A - 25 et A-27).
Dr. AUTRAN: Research Director - Department of Cereal Technology (National Institute for Agricultural Research INRA - Montpellier ). Durum wheat quality (Publications: A - 12 et A - 31).
Dr. JESTIN: Barley Breeding Laboratory (INRA - Clermont-Ferrand). Barley quality and mapping of the B-glucanase activity (Publications: A - 16 et A - 42).
Dr. LAPIERRE: Research Director - Plant Pathology Department (INRA - Versailles). Partial resistance of barley to yellow dwarf virus (Publications: A - 35, A - 37 et A - 38).
Prof. FABRE: Department of Plant Physiology (ESAP - Toulouse). Genetic control of some polymeric glutenin fractions in hexaploid wheats. (Publications: A - 44, A - 49 et A - 53).
Dr. LOKOSTOT: Department of Genetic and Plant Breeding, Agricultural University Godolo (Hongrie), invited researcher at ENSAT. Genetic control of haploid . (Publication: A - 62).
Prof. LAZAREVICH: Gorki Agricultural Academy (Bielorussia), invited researcher at ENSAT. Androgenic ability of different triticum species. (Publication: A - 66.)
Prof. BERVILLE: (INRA, UR-GAP, Montpellier). Genetic control of regeneration in sunflower. (Publications: A - 52, A - 71 et A - 74).
Prof. MARQUE: Plant Physiology Center (UPS-Toulouse). Genetic transformation of haploid embryos in wheat. (Publication: A - 69).
Dr. TOURVIEILLE DE LABROUHE: Plant Pathology Laboratory (INRA, GREAT, CLermont-Ferrand). Inheritance of resistance to stem canker in sunflower. (Publication: A - 70).
Prof. KAYALL: Damascus University (Syria). AFLP mapping of QTLs for in vitro regeneration in sunflower. (Publications: A - 77 et A - 79).
Dr. Hayes: Oregon University (Corvallis, U.S.A.): Detection of QTLs for resistance to bacterial leaf streak and quality parameters in barley. (Publications: A - 42 et A- 65).

Contracts:

CAUSSADE SEMENCES company (1986-1993): Durum wheats breeding.
SANOFI ELF BIORECHERCHE (1993-1994): Inheritance of resistance to macrophomyna in castor-oil plant
Midi-Pyrénées region (3 contracts between 1992 and 1997): Genetic control of haploid regeneration in wheat. (Publications: A - 24, A - 26, A - 29, A - 30, A - 33, A - 34, A - 36, A - 39, A - 43, A - 55, A - 58, A - 60, A - 61, A - 63, A - 64, A - 66 et A - 67).
ASGROW-France (1997-2000): Inheritance of partial resistance to Phoma in sunflower. (Publication: A - 57 et A - 70).
Midi-Pyrénées region (3 contracts between 1998 and 2002): Mapping QTLs for regeneration in sunflower (in collaboration with Prof. Gentzbittel). (Publications: A - 72, A - 73, A - 74, A - 75, A - 77, A - 78 et A - 79).
SYNGENTA SEEDS (1999-2002): Detection of QTLs controlling oleic acid in sunflower and agronomic traits (A - 82).

ACTIVITIES FROM 2007 ON

A- Supervisor or co-supervisor of PhD research works of : Mr. Poormohammad- Kiani, Mr. Darvishzadeh, Mr. Perghambari, Mr. Nabipour, Mrs. Ebrahimi and Miss. Allinne. Several articles are polished through the results of their PhD thesis in referenced journals (list of publications-A).

B- Actually supervisor and co-supervisor of PhD students Mr. Haddadi and Miss Nouri.

C- Mission to Ireland (2007), to establish collaboration between ENSAT and several Irish Universities.

D- Mission to Untied States (2008), to improve our collaboration with 3 Universities and to establish with some others.