Ability of new durum wheat pure lines to meet yield stability and quality requirements in low input and organic systems

Low-input production schemes adopted in organic or conventional farms require crop varieties that combine good product quality and high yield stability under non optimal environmental conditions (Gooding et al., 1999). These traits are not yet found among the durum wheat genotypes available in France. Consequently the cultivation of this crop is hardly successful in stockless organic farms in southern France, which are characterised by very low nitrogen resources. Some hopes emerged with the identification of new durum wheat pure lines with a high grain protein content in breeding experiments conducted near Montpellier in 2001 and 2002. The aim of the present work was to confirm and elucidate the origin of the enhanced protein performance of these new lines through a field experiment with nitrogen resources ranging from very low to sub-optimal levels

Improving crop yield potential: Underlying biological processes and future prospects

The growing world population and global increases in the standard of living both result in an increasing demand for food, feed and other plant‐derived products. In the coming years, plant‐based research will be among the major drivers ensuring food security and the expansion of the bio‐based economy. Crop productivity is determined by several factors, including the available physical and agricultural resources, crop management, and the resource use efficiency, quality and intrinsic yield potential of the chosen crop. This review focuses on intrinsic yield potential, since understanding its determinants and their biological basis will allow to maximize the plant's potential in food and energy production. Yield potential is determined by a variety of complex traits that integrate strictly regulated processes and their underlying gene regulatory networks. Due to this inherent complexity, numerous potential targets have been identified that could be exploited to increase crop yield. These encompass diverse metabolic and physical processes at the cellular, organ and canopy level. We present an overview of some of the distinct biological processes considered to be crucial for yield determination that could further be exploited to improve future crop productivity

Are soybean models ready for climate change food impact assessments?

Abstract. An accurate estimation of crop yield under climate change scenarios is essential to quantify our ability to feed a growing population and develop agronomic adaptations to meet future food demand. A coordinated evaluation of yield simulations from process-based eco-physiological models for climate change impact assessment is still missing for soybean, the most widely grown grain legume and the main source of protein in our food chain. In this first soybean multi-model study, we used ten prominent models capable of simulating soybean yield under varying temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2] to quantify the uncertainty in soybean yield simulations in response to these factors. Models were first parametrized with high quality measured data from five contrasting environments. We found considerable variability among models in simulated yield responses to increasing temperature and [CO2]. For example, under a + 3 °C temperature rise in our coolest location in Argentina, some models simulated that yield would reduce as much as 24%, while others simulated yield increases up to 29%. In our warmest location in Brazil, the models simulated a yield reduction ranging from a 38% decrease under + 3 °C temperature rise to no effect on yield. Similarly, when increasing [CO2] from 360 to 540 ppm, the models simulated a yield increase that ranged from 6% to 31%. Model calibration did not reduce variability across models but had an unexpected effect on modifying yield responses to temperature for some of the models. The high uncertainty in model responses indicates the limited applicability of individual models for climate change food projections. However, the ensemble mean of simulations across models was an effective tool to reduce the high uncertainty in soybean yield simulations associated with individual models and their parametrization. Ensemble, ensemble mean yield responses to temperature and [CO2] were similar to those reported from the literature. Our study is the first demonstration of the benefits achieved from using an ensemble of grain legume models for climate change food projections, and highlights that further soybean model development with experiments under elevated [CO2] and temperature is needed to reduce the uncertainty from the individual models

Production de références sur les successions de culture

National audienc

Aide à la gestion des systèmes irrigués en grande culture

National audienceLa bonne maîtrise des systèmes irrigués est devenue une nécessité du fait de l'évolution du contexte économique et réglementaire et des préoccupations croissantes concernant la gestion collective de la ressource en eau. Dans les systèmes de grande culture où le coût relatif de l'irrigation est important vis-à-vis du produit brut, la question de la maîtrise de l'outil irrigation doit être abordée à l'échelle de l'exploitation agricole. Dans ces systèmes, les décisions prises avant la campagne d'irrigation (assolement, stratégies d'irrigation) sont déterminantes vis-à-vis de la conduite de l'irrigation à la parcelle en cours de campagne. Depuis une dizaine d'années, de nombreux travaux développent cette approche à l'échelle de l'exploitation agricole selon trois axes : pour appréhender la diversité des systèmes irrigués ; pour élaborer des références et des outils d'aide à la décision pour guider les agriculteurs dans leurs choix ; pour concevoir des méthodes de diagnostic permettant de mieux cibler le conseil en irrigation. Dans ce cadre, deux outils d'aide à la décision développés par l'INRA et l'ITCF sont présentés. Le premier (LORA) concerne le choix de l'assolement sur le périmètre irrigable de l'exploitation. Le second (IRMA) est un simulateur de l'organisation des chantiers d'irrigation pour l'ensemble de la sole irriguée, basé sur une représentation des règles de gestion de l'irrigant

Aide à la décision pour la gestion des systèmes irrigués en grande culture

National audienc