HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Mar 10, 2009
International audienceThe recent fluctuations in prices of agricultural commodities have distinct... more International audienceThe recent fluctuations in prices of agricultural commodities have distinct impacts on agricultural systems at global, continental, regional, farm and field level. They not only affect the economy of agricultural systems, but can also have substantial environmental and social implications. These price fluctuations underpin two main requirements for ‘integrated assessment (IA) of agricultural systems’ in general: IA must provide integrated analysis at multiple scales and of economic, environmental and social factors. The dynamics in food prices and, for instance, the rise and decline in popularity of using biomass for biofuel also point at a third requirement: research tools must be flexible, as issues can change within short time periods, and research tools fit for only one purpose can become outdated rapidly. These three requirements challenge research for integrated assessment of agriculture and point at the need for generic and flexible tools. This contribution will illustrate some of the advances achieved over the past four years in a large integrated and EU-funded research project (SEAMLESS), involving 30 institutes and a large group of scientists with an agronomic, environmental, economic, information technology or sociological background (Van Ittersum et al., 2008). We present key methodological features of a computerized framework for integrated assessment of agricultural systems. The paper demonstrates an application, and reflects on some research challenges for interdisciplinary science. Finally, it discusses the positioning of science-based IA frameworks and derived information in the science-policy interfac
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2006
... interception dependent not only on LAI, but also on shaded and sunlit leaf area, plant height... more ... interception dependent not only on LAI, but also on shaded and sunlit leaf area, plant height and width, row spacing, plant spacing, and the ... variations in density as applied by farmers are small and that there is no need to introduce this effect, or that inter-plant competition results ...
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Aug 27, 2018
International audienceGrain legumes meet several agricultural challenges in the perspective of ec... more International audienceGrain legumes meet several agricultural challenges in the perspective of ecological intensification: not only they have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, which make them highly suitable for lowinput system and lead to reduced energy use, but also they can deliver other services. They represent affordable sources of protein for human consumption and a source of diversification to break pest and weeds cycles and optimize nutrient management. However, the specific diversity of pulses is poorly represented in most cropping systems despite the growing demand from food chains. While over than 80 pulses are consumed by humans, the FAO database covers only 11 pulse species. The number of released cultivars is also very low: in France, for example, only 7 chickpeas cultivars are available in the French market, while more than 90,000 accessions are recorded in the world’s genetic resources. The objective of this study is to characterize the genetic diversity of a wide range of species and varieties of pulses through a functional approach that links agro-morphological traits, physiological functions and ecosystem services. Three ecosystem services have been identified as crucial for Mediterranean cropping systems: 1) yield production and stability under dry conditions (i.e; drought resistance), 2) nitrogen fixation and accumulation in the plant for future return to the soil, and 3) competitiveness toward weeds. An extensive literature review (120 ref.) allowed us to identify and document 41 species regarding a set of 12 traits (e.g. maximum plant height, leaf size, days to maturity…). The full data was then analyzed with CART regressions. As an example, drought resistance was well predicted by the maximum height, day to flowering, seed size, and leaf size. Plants with small leaves, short cycles and short height are most likely to be more resistant than others. Species were then assembled into groups of species with similar patterns of ecosystem services, according to their agro-morphological traits. These results allow a better understanding of how specific diversity of grain legumes is organized and can be used with respects to target ecosystem services
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Mar 10, 2009
International audienceThe recent fluctuations in prices of agricultural commodities have distinct... more International audienceThe recent fluctuations in prices of agricultural commodities have distinct impacts on agricultural systems at global, continental, regional, farm and field level. They not only affect the economy of agricultural systems, but can also have substantial environmental and social implications. These price fluctuations underpin two main requirements for ‘integrated assessment (IA) of agricultural systems’ in general: IA must provide integrated analysis at multiple scales and of economic, environmental and social factors. The dynamics in food prices and, for instance, the rise and decline in popularity of using biomass for biofuel also point at a third requirement: research tools must be flexible, as issues can change within short time periods, and research tools fit for only one purpose can become outdated rapidly. These three requirements challenge research for integrated assessment of agriculture and point at the need for generic and flexible tools. This contribution will illustrate some of the advances achieved over the past four years in a large integrated and EU-funded research project (SEAMLESS), involving 30 institutes and a large group of scientists with an agronomic, environmental, economic, information technology or sociological background (Van Ittersum et al., 2008). We present key methodological features of a computerized framework for integrated assessment of agricultural systems. The paper demonstrates an application, and reflects on some research challenges for interdisciplinary science. Finally, it discusses the positioning of science-based IA frameworks and derived information in the science-policy interfac
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), 2006
... interception dependent not only on LAI, but also on shaded and sunlit leaf area, plant height... more ... interception dependent not only on LAI, but also on shaded and sunlit leaf area, plant height and width, row spacing, plant spacing, and the ... variations in density as applied by farmers are small and that there is no need to introduce this effect, or that inter-plant competition results ...
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Aug 27, 2018
International audienceGrain legumes meet several agricultural challenges in the perspective of ec... more International audienceGrain legumes meet several agricultural challenges in the perspective of ecological intensification: not only they have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, which make them highly suitable for lowinput system and lead to reduced energy use, but also they can deliver other services. They represent affordable sources of protein for human consumption and a source of diversification to break pest and weeds cycles and optimize nutrient management. However, the specific diversity of pulses is poorly represented in most cropping systems despite the growing demand from food chains. While over than 80 pulses are consumed by humans, the FAO database covers only 11 pulse species. The number of released cultivars is also very low: in France, for example, only 7 chickpeas cultivars are available in the French market, while more than 90,000 accessions are recorded in the world’s genetic resources. The objective of this study is to characterize the genetic diversity of a wide range of species and varieties of pulses through a functional approach that links agro-morphological traits, physiological functions and ecosystem services. Three ecosystem services have been identified as crucial for Mediterranean cropping systems: 1) yield production and stability under dry conditions (i.e; drought resistance), 2) nitrogen fixation and accumulation in the plant for future return to the soil, and 3) competitiveness toward weeds. An extensive literature review (120 ref.) allowed us to identify and document 41 species regarding a set of 12 traits (e.g. maximum plant height, leaf size, days to maturity…). The full data was then analyzed with CART regressions. As an example, drought resistance was well predicted by the maximum height, day to flowering, seed size, and leaf size. Plants with small leaves, short cycles and short height are most likely to be more resistant than others. Species were then assembled into groups of species with similar patterns of ecosystem services, according to their agro-morphological traits. These results allow a better understanding of how specific diversity of grain legumes is organized and can be used with respects to target ecosystem services
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Papers by Jacques Wery