Consultant - Drought Stress & Estimating Water Use Efficiency in Tropical Perennial Crops

Organizational Setting

The Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications implements the IAEA's Major Programme 2, "Nuclear Techniques for Development and Environmental Protection". This Major Programme comprises individual programmes on food and agriculture, human health, water resources, environment and radiation technologies. These programmes are supported by laboratories in Seibersdorf, Monaco and Vienna. The Major Programme's objective is to enhance the capacity of Member States to meet basic human needs and to assess and manage the marine and terrestrial environments through the use of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable development programmes.

The Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture assists Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IAEA in using nuclear techniques and related technologies to improve food security, alleviate poverty and promote sustainable agriculture. The Joint Centre consists of five Sections, each with an associated laboratory (located in Seibersdorf, 45 km south-east of Vienna), in the areas of: animal production and health; plant breeding and genetics; insect pest control; soil and water management and crop nutrition; and food safety and control.

The Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Section and Laboratory assist Member States in developing improved soil and water management practices for sustainable intensification of agricultural production systems, the conservation of natural resources and the effective use of external inputs through applied and adaptive research and development activities, technology transfer and capacity building

Main Purpose

The purpose is to prepare, in cooperation with the Soil Water Management Croup Nutrition Laboratory (SWMCNL), a comprehensive publication and a set of training materials on the use of stable carbon isotope techniques for monitoring drought stress and estimating water use efficiency in tropical perennial crops, such as banana, cassava, and coffee. These materials aim to help scientists address climate change resilience and will be based on guidelines published under the following extra-budgetary projects: (i) Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA) (closed), and (ii) Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation and Disease Resilience in Banana-Coffee Cropping Systems in East Africa. Further, the consultant will support the development of a mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) spectral library using coffee leaf samples. This library will support the prediction of stable carbon isotope ratio (δ¹³C) and key nutritional parameters, contributing to rapid, non-destructive diagnostics of drought stress and nutritional status. In addition, the consultant will support the testing of the first-generation micro-sensing prototype, which integrates Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) algorithms for real-time detection of physiological stress responses in coffee plants.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Provide expertise in the preparation of an FAO publication (~70 pages) written for an audience of scientists, technicians, and decision-makers, introducing the use of stable carbon isotope techniques for monitoring drought stress and estimating water use efficiency in tropical perennial crops, such as banana, cassava, and coffee. This publication will cover (i) the principles of these techniques, (ii) practical guidelines for their use, (iii) data interpretation, and (iv) future developments in stable isotope and related techniques to enhance climate change resilience in tropical perennial crops.
• Create a set of teaching materials as an annex to the FAO publication, focusing on the principles of the techniques, practical setup for related assessments, data interpretation, and future developments.
• Provide guidance to collaborating institutions involved in the PUI project on "Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation and Disease Resilience in Banana-Coffee Cropping Systems in East Africa." on strategies for scaling up the use of developed isotope and conventional techniques for assessing drought stress and water use efficiency in tropical perennial crops, such as banana, cassava, and coffee.
• Conduct mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) analysis on coffee leaves, to generate spectral data for calibrating predictive models of δ¹³C values and critical nutritional parameters.
• Provide input on the experimental validation of micro-sensors designed to detect water stress in coffee plants, supporting field trials, environmental data logging, and correlation analysis between sensor output and plant physiological indicators.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition
  
  

Qualifications And Experience

• University Degree in Bioscience Engineering, Soil Science or related field.
• Minimum of two years' experience in one of the following areas:
• Expertise in Soil & Agronomy research, with emphasis on Tropical Agriculture;
• Expertise in Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), with emphasis on Tropical Soils;
• Experience in experimental design, data analysis in the field of soil and plant management;
• Experience in the use of stable isotope techniques for monitoring drought stress and estimating water use efficiency in tropical perennial crops, such as banana, cassava, and coffee.
• Good knowledge of oral and written command of English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) an asset.
  

Remuneration

The remuneration for this consultancy is a daily fee of up to a maximum of € 230, based on qualifications and experience. In case duty travel is required within the assignment, a daily subsistence allowance (DSA) and travel costs are provided. Health coverage and pension fund are the responsibility of the incumbent.

Organization

NAFA-Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Laboratory

Primary Location

Austria-Lower Austria-Seibersdorf-IAEA Laboratories in Seibersdorf

Job Posting

2025-05-23, 9:46:52 PM

Closing Date

2025-05-31, 5:59:00 AM

Duration in Months

7

Contract Type

Special Service Agreement - SSA

Full Competitive Recruitment

No