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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Determinism and genetic diversity of pea intercropping ability in peawheat association

subject

description

Intercropping pea (Pisum sativum) with cereals stabilizes the yield and overall quality of the products in the context of low-input cropping conditions thanks to a more efficient use of resources through interspecific competitive interactions [1] . In order to develop this cropping system which increases the sustainability of agroecosystems, we have launched a survey of pea genetic variability for intercropping ability. Field experiments were carried out over two years using 11 phenotypically diverse pea genotypes associated with two contrasted wheat varieties (height, precocity). We characterized several functional architecture and phenology traits potentially impacting the interactions among the two partners and with the environment. Indicators of the competition between the two partners for the light (interception of the incident radiation and periodic measurements of heights and closing velocity) and the soil resources (root biomass, nitrogen budget) were measured throughout the cropping cycle. We identified the most determining traits in terms of success of the association. Success was mainly evaluated by the yield components and the quality of the seeds, but also by lodging, biomass of weeds and impact on microbial diversity. The most critical traits for the success of pea/wheat association will be investigated by a genome wide association study (GWAS) in a collection of 170 pea accessions genotyped using 13K to 2M SNP markers from recent pea genomic resources [2] and cultivated in association with the same two contrasted wheat varieties. References: [1] Hauggard-Nielsen, H. et al., (2001). Evaluating pea and barley cultivars for