Ricin

Intermediate crops, grown between two cash crops and not harvested, can provide many ecosystem services, provided they establish quickly to compete with weeds and produce a good quantity of biomass. The main hypothesis of the RICIN project is that some species establish better than others when sown in summer under non-optimal conditions (water stress, coarse seedbed with or without mulch).

To test this hypothesis, a dozen species belonging to four major families (Poaceae, Fabaceae, Hydrophyllaceae and Brassicaceae), little or not studied to date, will be identified and compared on the basis of their seed and seedling characteristics, as well as their tolerance to water stress and mechanical constraints.

Low- and high-throughput phenotyping of the intermediate crops studied will provide knowledge for performance optimization. In addition to producing scientific and technical resources, the project will enable the development of a decision-making tool, as well as increasing the possibility of collaborations with (in particular) seed companies on this front of research represented by the characterization of the heterotropic growth of intermediate crops.

The project aims to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting the successful establishment of intermediate crops. Ricin's main hypothesis is that some species of these crops establish better than others when sown in summer under non-optimal conditions (water stress, coarse seedbed with or without mulch).

Thus, the project aims to acquire ecophysiological knowledge on a dozen species linked to heterotrophic growth (seed germination and seedling emergence) through a comparative ecophysiology study in order to better understand their ability to establish, particularly under limiting water conditions.

It also aims to determine the potential link between establishment quality and biomass production potential under contrasting management conditions (different sowing methods, irrigation regimes, sowing depth, etc.).

It will also enable us to propose the development of an OAD to trigger sowing by taking into account the cumulative rainfall required for emergence, depending on the species and soil condition (structural and hydric).

• Production of ecophysiological data on the heterotrophic growth (seed germination and seedling emergence) of 9 canopy species, under contrasting environmental conditions (hydric and mechanical stress).
• Identification and prioritization of factors influencing planting quality at 3 experimental sites.
• Creation of a prototype decision-support tool.