SPFC: a tool to improve water management and hay production in the Crau region

Correspondance: [email protected] ; UMR SYSTEM équipe CONSYSTThis article deals with the development and application of SPFC, a model used to improve water and grassland production (HC) in this region of France. This model is composed of two sub-models: an irrigation model and a crop model. As the fields are border irrigated, these two sub-models are coupled. The crop model simulates dry matter, Leaf Area Index (LAI) and soil water reserve (SWR) variations. LAI and SWR are both used for border model updating: SWR for the deficit of saturation required by the infiltration equation and LAI for the roughness coefficient n. After calibration and validation, SPFC is then used to identify realistic management strategies for the irrigation and production system at the plot level. By scheduling irrigation when SWR is 50% depleted, would result in a low Dry Matter DM production loss (around 10%), reduced labour (8 irrigation events instead of 11) and in significant water saving compared with farmers' practices, on the basis of an average climatic scenario. Furthermore, this improvement of irrigation efficiency is not incompatible with groundwater recharge used for the potable water supply of the region

The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordData availability: All collapsed and paired-end sequence data for samples sequenced in this study are available in compressed fastq format through the European Nucleotide Archive under accession number PRJEB44430, together with rescaled and trimmed bam sequence alignments against both the nuclear and mitochondrial horse reference genomes. Previously published ancient data used in this study are available under accession numbers PRJEB7537, PRJEB10098, PRJEB10854, PRJEB22390 and PRJEB31613, and detailed in Supplementary Table 1. The genomes of ten modern horses, publicly available, were also accessed as indicated in their corresponding original publications57,61,85-87.NOTE: see the published version available via the DOI in this record for the full list of authorsDomestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 BC. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 BC, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 BC driving the spread of Indo-European languages. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium BC Sintashta culture

The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes

Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia and Anatolia, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc driving the spread of Indo-European languages. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture

The Origins and Spread of Domestic Horses from the Western Eurasian Steppes

Domestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare1. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling2–4 at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc3. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia5 and Anatolia6, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association7 between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc8,9 driving the spread of Indo-European languages10. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture11,12. © 2021, The Author(s).We thank all members of the AGES group at CAGT. We are grateful for the Museum of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology (UB RAS, Ekaterinburg) for providing specimens. The work by G. Boeskorov is done on state assignment of DPMGI SB RAS. This project was supported by the University Paul Sabatier IDEX Chaire d’Excellence (OURASI); Villum Funden miGENEPI research programme; the CNRS ‘Programme de Recherche Conjoint’ (PRC); the CNRS International Research Project (IRP AMADEUS); the France Génomique Appel à Grand Projet (ANR-10-INBS-09-08, BUCEPHALE project); IB10131 and IB18060, both funded by Junta de Extremadura (Spain) and European Regional Development Fund; Czech Academy of Sciences (RVO:67985912); the Zoological Institute ZIN RAS (АААА-А19-119032590102-7); and King Saud University Researchers Supporting Project (NSRSP–2020/2). The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (19-59-15001 and 20-04-00213), the Russian Science Foundation (16-18-10265, 20-78-10151, and 21-18-00457), the Government of the Russian Federation (FENU-2020-0021), the Estonian Research Council (PRG29), the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (PRG1209), the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (Project NF 104792), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Momentum Mobility Research Project of the Institute of Archaeology, Research Centre for the Humanities); and the Polish National Science Centre (2013/11/B/HS3/03822). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (grant agreement 797449). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreements 681605, 716732 and 834616)

Leaf appearance and senescence patterns of some pasture species

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Caracteristiques morphogenetiques de quelques dicotyledones et graminees : application pour l'etude de prairies permanentes

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Effets des niveaux de nutrition en phosphore et en azote et de la composition botanique de communautés prairiales sur l'accumulation de biomasse au printemps

L'objectif de cette étude est de hiérarchiser les principaux facteurs de variation de la biomasse aérienne (MS) de communautés prairiales au printemps : composition botanique (CB), niveaux de nutrition en azote (IN) et en phosphore (IP), sachant que ces trois caractéristiques ne sont pas toujours liées du fait notamment de différences de régimes de coupe appliqués aux prairies. Dans les Pyrénées centrales, une communauté végétale témoin à base de graminées et dix-sept autres communautés prairiales bien différenciées par leur niveau de nutrition minérale (en P et en N) et leur composition botanique sont étudiées. Nous observons que la vitesse d'accumulation de la biomasse est réduite de plus de 50 % suite à une réduction du niveau de nutrition azotée (passage d'un niveau de nutrition non limitant IN = 100 à très limitant (IN = 60), de près de 30 % suite à un changement de composition botanique (passage d'espèces caractéristiques d'habitats fertiles à des espèces caractéristiques d'habitats peu fertiles) et d'environ 12 % suite à une réduction du niveau de nutrition en phosphore (passage d'un niveau non limitant à très déficient). Après avoir discuté de l'effet de ces caractéristiques de la prairie en fonction des données de la littérature, nous montrons comment varie, à l'échelle de plusieurs années, la biomasse aérienne d'une prairie composée d'espèces caractéristiques d'habitats peu fertiles suite à un apport de fertilisant : dans un premier temps la biomasse augmente sans que les espèces dominantes aient le temps de changer, puis, au bout de quelques années, la biomasse est encore plus élevée en relation avec le changement des espèces.Effects of phosphorus and nitrogen nutrition status and of botanical composition of permanent pastures on their growth in spring. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the botanical composition (BC), the nitrogen (IN) and phosphorus (IP) nutrition status on above-ground dry matter accumulation (DM) of permanent pastures in spring; these three factors are not always linked, particularly in relation to the cutting regime. In the central Pyrenees, one plant community dominated by grasses and used as reference and 17 other plant communities well differentiated by their P and N nutrient status and their botanical composition were studied. We observed that the above-ground dry matter accumulation rate decreased by over 50% when the IN dropped from 100 (optimal N nutrition) to 60 (low N available), by nearly 30% when species characteristic of nutrient-rich habitats were replaced with species characteristic of nutrient-poor habitats, and by about 10% when the IP dropped from 80 (optimal P nutrition) to 40 (very low P available). We discuss this data with reference to the literature. Then we show how the above-ground dry-matter changed over the years with the application of fertilizer to a meadow dominated by species that are characteristic of nutrient-poor habitats. At the beginning the above-ground dry-matter increases with no change in botanical composition. Then, after a few years, it keeps increasing as the original species are replaced by more productive ones

Caracteristiques morphogeniques de quelques dicotyledones et graminees: application pour l'etude des prairies permanentes

L'extensification en production fourragere. Compte-rendu des Journees 1992 de l'Association Francaise pour la Production FourragereNational audienc

Pédoclimat, fertilisation et croissance des prairies permanentes au printemps. III. Vitesse d'accumulation de la matière sèche et prévision de récolte à l'épiaison

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Effets des niveaux de nutrition en phosphore et en azote et de la composition botanique de communautés prairiales sur l'accumulation de biomasse au printemps

National audienceThe objective of this study was to assess the effect of the botanical composition (BC), the nitrogen (IN) and phosphorus (IP) nutrition status on above-ground dry matter accumulation (DM) of permanent pastures in spring; these three factors are not always linked, particularly in relation to the cutting regime. In the central Pyrenees, one plant community dominated by grasses and used as reference and 17 other plant communities well differentiated by their P and N nutrient status and their botanical composition were studied. We observed that the above-ground dry matter accumulation rate decreased by over 50% when the IN dropped from 100 (optimal N nutrition) to 60 (low N available), by nearly 30% when species characteristic of nutrient-rich habitats were replaced with species characteristic of nutrient-poor habitats, and by about 10% when the IP dropped from 80 (optimal P nutrition) to 40 (very low P available). We discuss this data with reference to the literature. Then we show how the above-ground dry-matter changed over the years with the application of fertilizer to a meadow dominated by species that are characteristic of nutrient-poor habitats. At the beginning the above-ground dry-matter increases with no change in botanical composition. Then, after a few years, it keeps increasing as the original species are replaced by more productive ones.L’objectif de cette étude est de hiérarchiser les principaux facteurs de variation de la biomasse aérienne (MS) de communautés prairiales au printemps : composition botanique (CB), niveaux de nutrition en azote (IN) et en phosphore (IP), sachant que ces trois caractéristiques ne sont pas toujours liées du fait notamment de différences de régimes de coupe appliqués aux prairies. Dans les Pyrénées centrales, une communauté végétale témoin à base de graminées et dix-sept autres communautés prairiales bien différenciées par leur niveau de nutrition minérale (en P et en N) et leur composition botanique sont étudiées. Nous observons que la vitesse d’accumulation de la biomasse est réduite de plus de 50 % suite à une réduction du niveau de nutrition azotée (passage d’un niveau de nutrition non limitant IN = 100 à très limitant (IN = 60), de près de 30 % suite à un changement de composition botanique (passage d’espèces caractéristiques d’habitats fertiles à des espèces caractéristiques d’habitats peu fertiles) et d’environ 12 % suite à une réduction du niveau de nutrition en phosphore (passage d’un niveau non limitant à très déficient). Après avoir discuté de l’effet de ces caractéristiques de la prairie en fonction des données de la littérature, nous montrons comment varie, à l’échelle de plusieurs années, la biomasse aérienne d’une prairie composée d’espèces caractéristiques d’habitats peu fertiles suite à un apport de fertilisant : dans un premier temps la biomasse augmente sans que les espèces dominantes aient le temps de changer, puis, au bout de quelques années, la biomasse est encore plus élevée en relation avec le changement des espèces