PhD (ongoing)
- University of Douala, Cameroon, 2022-
- Subject: Mathematical modeling, analysis and control of the impact of nematodes on banana production
- Supervisors: S. Bowong, F. Grognard, S. Touzeau
Context
- Banana, including plantain: major staple food – Cameroon: 2% GDP
- Burrowing nematodes Radopholus similis
- develop, feed and reproduce in roots
- severe crop losses, up to banana toppling
- Control methods
- nematicides: harmful to environment and human health
- soil sanitation & vitroplants
- tolerant or resistant banana cultivars
- biological control: biostimulants (to enhance plant defense)
Objectives
- Develop a model of plant-pest interactions
- Design optimal control strategies during and between cropping seasons to reduce crop losses
Results
Interaction model between banana roots and nematodes
- Single-season epidemiological model (ODE model) with
- variable nematode infestation density in infected roots
- density-dependent nematode growth
- Asymptotic properties and bifurcation analysis assuming fast infestation of free-living nematodes
F. Kemayou, S. Touzeau, F. Grognard, S. Bowong. Mathematical modeling and control of nematode impact on banana production. Poster in: DSABNS 2024 – 15th International Conference on Dynamical Systems Applied to Biology and Natural Sciences, February 2024, Caparica, Portugal. HAL: hal-04452078
Optimal control (ongoing)
- Control: biostimulants, which activate plant defence mechanisms and reduce nematode infestation during a cropping season
- Aim: optimise the crop yield (proxy based on healthy roots), while minimising the control costs and the final nematode population (reasonable yield for the next season)
- Bang-bang solution: Pontryagin’s maximum principle; resolution using Bocop
- Comparison with suboptimal controls: constant, periodic, or hysteresis control
S. Touzeau, F. Kemayou, S. Grognard, S. Bowong. Controlling burrowing nematodes in banana roots based on an epidemiological model with variable infestation density. In: ECMTB’24 – 13th European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology, July 2024, Toledo, Spain. HAL: hal-04695163
Misc
- EPITAG visits in France
- Feb.-April 2023
- Nov. 2023-April 2024
- Conferences
- MPDEE 2023, Marseille, France (attendance only)
- DSABNS 2024, Caparica, Portugal – HAL: hal-04452078
- ECMTB 2024, Toledo, Spain – HAL: hal-04695163
