Université de Lorraine
Laboratoire Sols et Environnement
2, avenue de la Forêt de Haye
BP 20163
F-54505 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy
My research focuses on the topic Phytoremediation and more precisely agromining. Indeed, hyperaccumulator plants are effective tools for remediation of metal-contaminated soils. I am working in this sense for several hyperaccumulator plants by evaluating their capacity to accumulate Ni in relation with the role of soil microbial communities.
Among soil microorganisms, some (i) promote hyperaccumulator plant germination, (ii) facilitate the development of root biomass via the production of hormone-like molecules and also (iii) promote the resistance of plants to the stress exerted by the pollutant. My research also focuses on Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Plant Growth Promoting Endophytes (PGPE) and their effect on metal extraction by plants.
- PhD in Agricultural Sciences (1989) - Laboratoire de Cytologie et Pathologie Végétale - ENSAT, Toulouse.
- HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches: French post-doctoral degree allowing its holder to supervise PhD students) in Agricultural sciences (1999) – INPL
- Professor of Phytopathology and Microbial Ecology. Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires – Nancy (ENSAIA), University of Lorraine - French National higher graduate school of Agronomy and Food Science.
- Co-founder of the start-up Econick (https://www.econick.fr)
- Plant biology and physiology (Classes Préparatoires Polytechniques (CPP) Intensive undergraduate programme),
- Phytopathology (1st and 2nd year graduate engineering students in Agronomy),
- In charge of the crop protection specialization for senior graduate engineering students.
- Skills:
- Biology. Fungi, algae and lichens systematic, physiology and ecology.
- Phytopathology (fungal and bacterial pathogens).
- Plant biology and physiology.
Benizri, E., Lopez, S., Durand, A., Kidd, P., 2021. Diversity and role of endophytic and rhizosphere microbes associated with hyperaccumulator plants during metal accumulation. In : Agromining: Farming for Metals - Extracting Unconventional Resources Using Plants (Van der Ent, A., Baker, A., Echevarria, G., Simonnot, M.O., Morel, J.L., Eds). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58904-2
Durand, A., Leglize, P., Benizri, E., 2021. Are endophytes essential partners for plants and what are the prospects for metal phytoremediation? Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04820-w
Saad, R.F., Echevarria, G., Rodríguez-Garrido, B., Kidd, P., Benizri, E., 2021. A two-year field study of nickel-agromining using Odontarrhena chalcidica co-cropped with a legume on an ultramafic soil: temporal variation in plant biomass, nickel yields and taxonomic and bacterial functional diversity. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04834-y
Lopez, S., Van der Ent, A., Sumail, S., Sugau, J.B., Buang, M.M., Amin, Z., Echevarria, G., Morel, J.L., Benizri, E., 2020. Bacterial community diversity in the rhizosphere of nickel-hyperaccumulator species from Borneo Island (Malaysia). Environmental Microbiology, 22(4): 1649-1665. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14970
Lopez, S., Nti Nkrumah, P., Echevarria, G., Benizri, E., Van der Ent, A., 2020. Bacterial community diversity and functional roles in the rhizosphere of Rinorea cf. bengalensis and Phyllanthus rufuschaneyi under a nickel gradient. Plant and Soil. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04763-2
Durand, A., Sterckeman, T., Gonnelli, C., Coppi, A., Bacci, G., Leglize, P., Benizri, E., 2020. A core seed endophytic bacterial community in the hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens across 14 sites in France. Plant and Soil, 459, 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04743-6
Lopez, S., Goux, X., Van der Ent, A., Erskine, P.D., Echevarria G., Calunsinska, M., Morel, J.L., Benizri, E., 2019a. Bacterial community diversity in the ultramafic rhizosphere of nickel hyperaccumulator species found on Halmahera Island (Indonesia). Applied Soil Ecology, 133:70-80.
Lopez, S., Goux, X., Echevarria, G., Calunsinska, M., Morel, J.L., Benizri, E., 2019b. Community diversity and potential functions of rhizosphere-associated bacteria of nickel hyperaccumulators found in Albania. Science of the Total Environment. 654: 237-249.
Lopez, S., Van der Ent A., Erskine, P.D., G Echevarria, G., Lee, G., Permana E., J Morel, J.L., Benizri, E., 2019c. Rhizosphere chemistry and above-ground elemental fractionation of nickel hyperaccumulator species from Weda Bay (Indonesia). Plant and Soil, 436 : 543-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-03954-w.
Lopez, S., Benizri, E., Erskine, P.D., Morel, J.L., Lee, G., Permana E., Echevarria, G., Van der Ent A., 2019d. Biogeochemistry of the flora of Weda Bay, Halmahera Island (Indonesia) focusing on metal hyperaccumulation. Journal of Geochemical Exploration (“Nickel Laterites”), 202: 113-127.
Pardo, T, Rodriguez-Garrido, B., Saad, R., Soto-Vasquez J.L., Loureiro-Vinas, M., Prieto-Fernandez, A., Echevarria, G., Benizri, E., Kidd, P.S., 2018. Assessing the agromining potential of Mediterranean Ni- hyperaccumulating plant species at field-scale in ultramafic soils under humid-temperate climate. Science of the Total Environment 630, 275-286.
Saad, R.F., Kobaissi, A., Machinet, G., Villemin G., Echevarria, G., Benizri, E., 2018a. Crop rotation associating a legume and the nickel hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale improves the structure and biofunctioning of an ultramafic soil. Ecological Research 33, 799-810.
Saad, R.F., Kobaissi, A., Amiaud, B., Ruelle, J., Benizri, E., 2018b. Changes in physicochemical characteristics of a serpentine soil and in root architecture of a hyperaccumulator plant cropped with a legume. Journal of Soils and Sediments 18, 1994-2007.
Saad, R.F., Kobaissi, A., Goux, X., Calusinska, M., Echevarria, G., Kidd, P.S., Benizri, E., 2018c. Soil microbial and Ni-agronomic responses to Alyssum murale interplanted with a legume. Applied Soil Ecology, 132, 60-73.
Saad, R.F., Kobaissi, A., Echevarria, G., Kidd, P.S., Calusinska, M., Goux, X., Benizri, E., 2018d. Influence of new agromining cropping systems on soil bacterial diversity and the physico-chemical characteristics of an ultramafic soil. Science of The Total Environnent, 645, 380-392.
Kidd, P.S., Bani, A., Benizri, E., Gonnelli C., Kisser, J., Konstantinou, M., Kuppens, T., Kyrkas, D., Laubie, B., Malina, R., Morel, J.L., Olcay, H., Pardo, T., Pons, M.N., Prieto-Fernández, A., Puschenreiter, M., Ridard, C., Rodríguez-Garrido, B., Rosenkranz, T., Rozpądek, P., Saad, R.F., Selvi, F., Simonnot, M.O., Tognacchini, A., Turnau, K., Ważny, R., Witters, N., Echevarria, G., 2018. Developing sustainable agromining systems in agricultural ultramafic soils for nickel recovery. A review. Frontiers in Plant Sciences, volume 6, article 44. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00044.
Bani, A. Pavlova, D., Benizri, E., Echevarria, G., Revees, R., Shallari, S., Miho, L., Meco, M., Shahu, E., 2018. The relationship between Ni hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale and the parasitic plant Orobanche nowackiana from serpentines in Albania. Ecological Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-018-1593-1.
Kanso, A., Azoury, S., Benizri, E., Kobaissi, A., Echevarria, G., Sirguey, C., 2018. Applying nitrogen fertilizer to improve Ni phytoextraction by Alyssum murale and their rhizosphere microbial activities. Ecological Research, 33(4):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-018-1630-0.