Collegium Helveticum
Switzerland
fellow
Walid Sadok
2023-2024
Home institution
University of Minnesota, US
Country of origin (home institution)
United States
Discipline(s)
Earth, environmental and climate sciences; Others
Theme(s)
Agriculture & Food; Other
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Walid Sadok is a crop scientist working on improving crop adaptation to drought and high temperature stresses under current and future climate scenarios. The specific aim of his research program is to identify novel crop traits that can be used in breeding programs to improve global food security. A particular emphasis is given to staple crops such as wheat grown in water-limited environments across the globe. His research program at the University of Minnesota leverages concepts in plant biology, agronomy, functional ecology, breeding, and climate science. Recent research has shown the promising potential of water-saving traits in improving crop adaptation to rising atmospheric drying under current and future climates.
Walid received his PhD from Montpellier SupAgro in France. His doctoral thesis bridged the gap between plant eco-physiology and breeding, leading to the development of the first phenotyping platform to screen for water-saving traits in crops. He held two postdoctoral positions, one at AgroParisTech in France and another at the University of Florida, where he contributed to designing new sustainable farming practices and drought-tolerant crop varieties.
Research Project
Rise of Atmospheric Drought: Pathways for Improving Crop Resilience Using Soil and Plant Hydraulics
Recent evidence indicates that climate change is driving an increase in what is called “atmospheric drought” and that this increase is threatening plant productivity and global food security. Plants typically respond to this phenomenon by increasing their transpiration and therefore their water use. However, this comes at a cost, as this behavior amplifies the risk of soil water deficit, and therefore yield losses. To address this challenge, this project rests on the following fundamental question: Can we hope to design crop varieties with the right set of fine-tuned “hydraulic resistances” so that they can still use water for growth but not too much so that they can achieve economically-viable yields under climate change?
To this end, this project will integrate key knowledge in soil physics and plant eco-physiology as examine this question for wheat, a major staple crop that is widely grown in water-limited environments. Specifically, we will leverage novel approaches to examine the extent of phenotypic variability in plant and root-soil hydraulic resistances to water flow in response to rising atmospheric drought and its biophysical basis.
Research Interests:
atmospheric drought; plant productivit; global food security; hydraulic resistances; soil physics; plant ecophysiology