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Antoine Zboralski, botanist and researcher

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Antoine Zboralski, researcher at the Jardin botanique
Photo: Stéphane Daigle
Antoine Zboralski, researcher at the Jardin botanique
  • Antoine Zboralski, researcher at the Jardin botanique
  • Potted tomatoes
  • Bacterial suspensions
  • Pseudomonas vs rhizoctonia
  • Potted arabidopsis
  • In Vitro arabidopsis
  • Potted lettuce

Researcher at the Jardin botanique de Montréal since 2025, Antoine Zboralski studies beneficial bacteria for plants. These bacteria could serve as biopesticides and help reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture and other plant-based production systems.

Areas of research and expertise

  • Biological control of plant pathogens

  • Beneficial bacteria for plants
  • Plant and soil health
  • Environmental microbiology
  • Agriculture and other plant-based production systems
  • Phytopathology

Education

Postdoctoral -- Microbial ecology, 2024–2025
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Laval

Postdoctoral – Environmental microbiology, 2021–2024
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Doctoral -- Life sciences, 2021
Université de Moncton, New Brunswick

Agricultural engineer – specialization in sustainable plant management in horticulture and landscaping, 2015
Agrocampus Ouest, Angers, France

Using bacteria to replace pesticides

A single gram of soil can contain more bacteria than there are humans on Earth. Within this incredible diversity are bacteria that help plants defend themselves against disease.

Antoine Zboralski and his team focus their research on these bacteria to better understand their roles in plant and soil health. They study how these microorganisms act against pathogens, how they interact with the soil microbiota, and how they evolve over time.

This knowledge will help protect crops more effectively and reduce the use of synthetic pesticides.

At the intersection of phytopathology, microbiology, microbial ecology, and plant biology, his research draws on microbiological, molecular biology, and sequencing techniques. The team also studies a wide range of fungal, bacterial, and plant species.