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INRAT
National Institute of Agricultural Research of Tunisia (INRAT)
Rue Hédi Karray 2049 Ariana, Tunisia
(+216) 71 230 024 / (+ 216) 752 897
INRAT is one of the oldest agriculture research institutions in the region, created in 1913 basically around the cereal breeding activities. INRAT belong to Carthage University and the Institution of Research and Higher Agriculture Education of the Ministry of Agriculture. At present INRAT has 6 research laboratories covering plant breeding, animal sciences, agronomy, physiology, biotechnology, plant protection and economy. The field crops laboratory is one of the most important laboratories at INRAT conducting researches on cereal, grain legumes and oil crops. The main concern within the laboratory activities is breeding high yielding varieties of wheat, barley, triticale, faba beans, chickpea, lentil, rapeseed and sunflower with tolerance to main biotic and abiotic stresses by using classical breeding method and when possible biotechnological tools. The grain legume breeding program has registered during the last 25 years around 20 varieties of faba beans, chickpea, lentil, pea and bean.

The grain legumes program is carrying out research on other aspects, mainly:

- Conducting epidemiological studies on the most important pathogens
- Conducting genetic diversity studies on some crops and pathogens
- Conducting studies on mechanisms of resistance to pathogen
- Conducting researches on biological control of some diseases and pests.
- Product quality and technological tools
All these activities are conducting within the laboratory, greenhouse, and growth chamber at INRAT headquarter and also in research stations belonging to INRAT or the Regional Research Centers such as CRRGC of Beja. The research team of grain legume program involved in the MEDILEG Project is composed by plant breeders, agronomist, pathologist, biotechnologist and physiologist, headed by Dr. Hamadi Ben Salah after the departure of the former Head of the program Dr. Mohamed Kharrat.

Main scientists involved in Medileg project:
BEN SALAH Hamadi ​
Senior Researcher, Head of Field Crop Laboratory
( +216) 71 231 509 / (+ 216) 23 30 08 42
bensalah.hbs@gmail.com

Field of competence:

• Plant breeding of field crops
• Plant genotype interaction studies
• Grain legume, oil crops

Research thematic:

Field crops
OMRI BENYOUSSEF Noura​
Associate Researcher
(+ 216) 97 46 56 29
noura.omri@iresa.agrinet.tn / noura.mori@gmail.com

Field of competence:

• Epidemiology of plant pathogenic fungi, particularly Ascochyta genus
• Plant pathogenic fungi : Biology and structure
• Genetic aspect of plant-fungi interaction
• Biochemical aspect of plant-fungi interaction particularly biochemical mechanisms of field crop resistance to pathogenic fungi.

Research thematic:

Field crop diseases
BOUHADIDA KSIAA Mariem ​
Associate Researcher
( + 216) 71 23 00 24 / (+ 216) 21 10 21 51
( : FAX (+ 216) 71 75 28 97
mariembouhadida@gmail.com

Field of competence:

• Molecular Biology, in vitro culture

Research thematic:

• Analysis of the genetic diversity of legumes, cereals and plant parasites (broomrapes)
• Molecular assisted selection
• Identification and mapping of genes and QTLs linked to different biotic and abiotic stresses
OUJI Ali
Associate Researcher
(+216) 78 238.012 ;
​( Fax professionnel : (+216) 78 238.012
ali_ouji@ yahoo.fr

The centers of interest are related to the:

• Plant breeding
• Genetic improvement of food legumes
• Population Genetics

The current axe of research is related to:

• Genetic improvement of chickpea (Cicier arietinum L.)
ABBES Zouheir
Assistant Professer
(+216) 96 237 617
zouhaier.abbes@fst.rnu.tn // zouhaier_abbes@yahoo.fr

Field of Competence:

• Parasitic Plants
• Host-Parasite interaction
• Stress physiology

Research thematic:

• Study of Faba bean-Orobanche interaction
• Study of some biological aspects of orobanche spp (life cycle, host plants, yield losses and control strategies and their effect on host plants).
• Resistance mechanisms to Orobanche foetida and Orobanche crenata in legumes

SIFI Bouaziz
Senior Researcher, Head of Agronomic Sciences and Techniques Laboratory
(+216) 71 230 239 / (+ 216) 97 25 34 39
bouazizsifi@yahoo.fr

Field of competence:

• Agro- microbiology, Rhizobiology

Research thematic:

• Techniques Agronomics
• Legumes-Rhizobium Symbiosis
• Agriculture conservation
• Bio-fertilization and biocontrol