Dr. Maissa Ben Jabeur | Biostiumulants | Research Excellence Award

National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia | Tunisia

Dr. Maissa Ben Jabeur is a plant production and biotechnology researcher whose work focuses on biostimulants, seed coating technologies, stress physiology, and sustainable crop protection strategies. Her research explores beneficial microbes, plant extracts, and natural bioactive compounds as innovative tools to enhance crop resilience against biotic and abiotic stresses, with strong emphasis on wheat, maize, potato, strawberry, and tomato. She has developed and evaluated microbial consortia, essential-oil-based treatments, and plant growth-promoting bacteria for applications in seed priming, biocontrol, and yield improvement. Her expertise spans microbial genotyping, morphophysiological and biochemical trait analysis, metabolic physiology techniques, and greenhouse and laboratory experimentation. She has contributed to multidisciplinary projects on stress tolerant maize germplasm, microbiome-based agroecosystem restoration, PGPR applications, mycorrhizal symbioses, and biostimulant formulation for cereal improvement. Dr. Ben Jabeur has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, with studies covering drought and heat stress mitigation, systemic resistance induction, biofungicidal properties of essential oils, biopriming effects on seed physiology, and performance of natural biostimulants across diverse crop systems. She is also actively involved in supervising undergraduate and graduate students in topics such as beneficial microbes, plant defense mechanisms, biocontrol strategies, PGPR-mediated stress tolerance, and valorization of aromatic plant extracts. Alongside her research, she has extensive teaching experience in plant biology, botany, plant physiology, cellular biology, and metabolic physiology techniques, contributing to academic training and capacity building. Her profile reflects a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture through nature-based solutions, international collaboration, and impactful scientific dissemination.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publication

Kthiri, Z., Ben Jabeur, M., Karmous, C., & Hamada, W. (2025). Yeast to the rescue: Meyerozyma guilliermondii primes tomato vigor and resistance to Fusarium crown and root rot. Plant Signaling & Behavior.

Ben-Jabeur, M., Kthiri, Z., Djébali, N., Karmous, C., & Hamada, W. (2023). A case study of seed biopriming and chemical priming: Seed coating with two types of bioactive compounds improves the physiological state of germinating seeds in durum wheat. Cereal Research Communications.

Chaouch, R., Kthiri, Z., Soufi, S., Ben Jabeur, M., & Bettaieb, T. (2023). Assessing the biostimulant effect of micro-algae and thyme essential oil during in-vitro and ex-vitro rooting of strawberry. South African Journal of Botany.

Ben-Jabeur, M., Kthiri, Z., Essid, M. F., Moussa, C., & Hamada, W. (2023). The potential of coating half-cut tubers with natural biostimulants in improving yield components and inducing resistance against grey mold and black scurf in potato. Potato Research.

Ben-Jabeur, M., Chamekh, Z., Jallouli, S., Ayadi, S., Serret, M. D., Araus, J. L., Trifa, Y., & Hamada, W. (2022). Comparative effect of seed treatment with thyme essential oil and Paraburkholderia phytofirmans on growth, photosynthetic capacity, grain yield, δ15N and δ13C of durum wheat under drought and heat stress. Annals of Applied Biology.