Search results for "agroecology"
showing 10 items of 65 documents
Analysing and modelling the effect of nitrogen competition in weed regulation.
2020
Reducing the use of herbicide and mineral fertilizers is crucial to develop sustainable cropping systems. Such changes might result in an increased weed flora as well as intensify competition for resources, particularly nitrogen, between crops and weeds. The aim of this thesis was to analyze and model (via the mechanistic crop model FLORSYS) the key processes underlying nitrogen competition, in order to determine if changes in nitrogen fertilization techniques and cultivar choice could promote biological weed regulation.At the beginning of the thesis, the FLORSYS model (which simulates the effects of cropping systems in interaction with pedoclimate on weed dynamics) only included light comp…
Characterization of trophic links in an agrosystem : weed seed predation by carabid beetles
2012
Agroecology gives evidence of new perspectives in agriculture, and open doors for alternative weed management approaches through different regulation mechanisms. Seed predation is one of them, and the interest is growing to deepen knowledge, relative to this process. This Phd work aims (i) to describe weed seed predation, the dominant carabid predators and the available resource at a local scale in a common crop (winter wheat); (ii) to study predation profiles of main predators, and the pair-wise correlations between the biological components of the system; (iii) to bring new insights regarding potential regulation of weed communities, through seed predation by carabid beetles. Complementar…
Influence of arbuscular mycorrhizae on biomass production and nitrogen fixation of berseem clover plants subjected to water stress.
2014
Several studies, performed mainly in pots, have shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis can mitigate the negative effects of water stress on plant growth. No information is available about the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis on berseem clover growth and nitrogen (N) fixation under conditions of water shortage. A field experiment was conducted in a hilly area of inner Sicily, Italy, to determine whether symbiosis with AM fungi can mitigate the detrimental effects of drought stress (which in the Mediterranean often occurs during the late period of the growing season) on forage yield and symbiotic N2 fixation of berseem clover. Soil was either left under water stress (i.e., rai…
DNA traces the origin of honey by identifying plants, bacteria and fungi
2021
The regional origin of a food product commonly affects its value. To this, DNA-based identification of tissue remains could offer fine resolution. For honey, this would allow the usage of not only pollen but all plant tissue, and also that of microbes in the product, for discerning the origin. Here we examined how plant, bacterial and fungal taxa identified by DNA metabarcoding and metagenomics differentiate between honey samples from three neighbouring countries. To establish how the taxonomic contents of honey reflect the country of origin, we used joint species distribution modelling. At the lowest taxonomic level by metabarcoding, with operational taxonomic units, the country of origin …
Study of energetic properties of different tree organs in six Olea europaea L. cultivars
2021
AbstractPruning is an important horticultural practice for the management of olive orchards (Olea europaea L.) that generates a considerable amount of residues every year. Olive orchards are increasingly expanding beyond the Mediterranean Basin to new growing Countries (Australia, California, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) and this will certainly lead to larger availability of pruning material. Currently, the interest in use of olive tree pruning residues for energy purposes is increasing but unfortunately, the information on the differences among organs of the tree, in terms of calorific value and ash content, is scarce. Another unknown aspect is the effect of cultivar vigour on dry matter …
Agroecology and Strategies for Climate Change
2012
; Sustainable agriculture is a rapidly growing field aiming at producing food and energy in a sustainable way for humans and their children. Sustainable agriculture is a discipline that addresses current issues such as climate change, increasing food and fuel prices, poor-nation starvation, rich-nation obesity, water pollution, soil erosion, fertility loss, pest control, and biodiversity depletion.Novel, environmentally-friendly solutions are proposed based on integrated knowledge from sciences as diverse as agronomy, soil science, molecular biology, chemistry, toxicology, ecology, economy, and social sciences. Indeed, sustainable agriculture decipher mechanisms of processes that occur fro…
Gérer l’ambroisie à feuilles d’armoise en agriculture biologique
2019
Managing common ragweed in organic agriculture Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is an invasive plant native to North America, capable of developing rapidly in many environments: agricultural fields, roadsides, construction sites, wastelands, riverbanks. Pollen, emitted at the end of summer, causes strong allergic reactions in sensitive people (rhinitis, asthma, etc.). It is also a threat to agriculture, as this annual plant can cause significant yield losses if it is not controlled. A study was conducted to analyze the practices of organic farmers in arable crop systems to control ragweed, as well as their level of knowledge of this plant according to their location. The results …
Reduction of nitrate leaching: what is the contribution of the residual weed flora?
2018
International audience; Integrated crop protection tolerates residual weeds if they are not harmful for crop production. Weeds are often solely considered as a pest, causing crop yield loss, harvest pollution, diseases … However, they may also provide beneficial services for agroecosystems, promoting plant biodiversity and feeding other organisms potentially beneficial to crop production (pollinators, carabids…). The role of residual weed flora as nitrate catchers, during summer fallow, has however rarely been assessed. Yet, some weed species are known for their high potential to take up soil nitrogen. The present study aimed to (1) develop an indicator to account for the potential benefici…
Modélisation des effets des systèmes de culture sur la dynamique de la plante parasite orobanche rameuse en interaction avec les adventices
2019
Reducing pesticide use is a major challenge in agriculture and involves developing more sustainable methods that rely on non-chemical cropping techniques and biological regulations according to agroecological principles. Branched broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel) is a root parasitic plant which infects crops and causes dramatic yield losses worldwide. Managing broomrape is complex because it requires combining several cropping techniques whithin a global weed management strategy because broomrape is also able to infect non-parasitic weeds. The aim of this thesis was to stynthetize knowledge on branched broomrape dynamics in agroecosystems and to aggregate it within a mechanistic mod…
Pois protéagineux : cheminement de la recherche génétique pour la sélection des paramètres à prendre en compte pour l’amélioration de la stabilité du…
2013
Field Pea: development of genetic research for the selection of parameters to take into account to improve yield stability. Legumes were essential in rotations in the past, but they fell off during the 20th century. Maybe they will come back into favour in the 21st century thanks to its economy, agri-environment and food assets. Field Pea is the main crop of this family in France, but it remains underdeveloped because its unstable yield does not enable the farmers to ensure their income security. Therefore researchers should focus on yield stability. Modelling Pea remains difficult because of its indeterminate development. Parameters to take into account are many and their significance must…