Improving the competitiveness of rapeseed crops

The establishment and development of rapeseed are closely linked to the quality of implantation. By providing regional advice adapted to different pedoclimatic contexts, Terres Inovia optimizes production at particular sites through:

-The provision of diagnoses/advice

-The acquisition of reference data in specific contexts, such as very early sowing, soils very rich in organic matter, the management of the period between the harvest of the preceeding crop and the implantation of rapeseed, and the cultivation of rapeseed without the use of glyphosate.

The Réglette azote colza® is the emblematic tool of the decision support tools distributed by Terres Inovia. It enables farmers to calculate the nitrogen doses to be applied to the crop in spring, in order to reach the yield objectives they have set.
In November 2020, the Réglette azote colza® received an extension of the COMIFER* label for the tools used to calculate the projected nitrogen dose for two new regions: Brittany and the departments of the former Languedoc-Roussillon region. In addition, a follow-up audit confirmed the label for the geographical area defined during the first labeling campaign in 2019.

The Réglette azote colza is now certified for the entire country, except for the departments of the former Limousin region and Corsica, for which the certification procedure has not been opened.

Awarded for 3 years, this label, recognized by the Ministries of Agriculture and Ecological Transition, allows the Réglette to be validated as a tool that complies with regulatory requirements for balanced nitrogen fertilization.

It is currently accessible via a dedicated website (www.regletteazotecolza.fr) or smartphone (http://www.terresinovia.fr/outils/detail/outils/5/).

New technologies constitute a major step forward in the agricultural world. In this context, several organizations specializing in agronomy, remote sensing and digital technology have come together in the “digital rapeseed” project run by Terres Inovia, with the support of Sofiprotéol, for the the 2017-2020 period. The aim: to construct a pilot real-time monitoring system for rapeseed crops throughout the growth cycle, using satellite sensors and connected objects in plots.

Farmers will thus be able to monitor their plots more closely, agricultural advisers will be able to perform a spatialized inventory of crops in their area of activity, and cooperatives will be able to develop a territorial vision of production.

Winter flea beetle larvae and terminal bud weevils have been on the rise for several years.

To help producers better manage this risk, a new decision rule has been published since 2019. It integrates agronomic factors by taking into account various criteria (rapeseed biomass, pivot length, risk of nitrogen hunger, geographical area) .

This decision rule will evolve by integrating user feedback. An agronomic risk assessment grid can already be downloaded from the website.

In order to provide rapeseed growers with the information to choose the varieties best suited to their situation, Terres Inovia has been offering recommended lists for 10 production basins since 2018. Developed according to agronomic criteria of interest, these lists guarantee a level of production and robustness.

To refine its advice to producers, the institute has evolved its classification of varieties in 2019 to take into account new genes of resistance to phoma and thus reduce the risk of the presence of this disease on the plots. The institute has also integrated 24 varieties - there were only 7 in 2018 - with partial resistance to the TuYV virus, which can cause turnip yellows, transmitted by the green peach aphid.

For 3 years, the institute has also been working on the development of a methodology to characterize the fall vigor of varieties, based on the analysis of images from sensors carried by drones. The results obtained show significant differences between varieties. As a result, a methodology has been validated, making it possible to classify this criterion for the 2021 varietal selection.  
The work is continuing by studying the impact of vigor on different agronomic traits, such as tolerance to autumn insects and resistance to biotic stresses, with the aim of characterizing rapeseed varieties for these new selection criteria, which are particularly important in difficult production contexts.

All these varieties are available on the myvar tool (www.myvar.fr).

Flooded soils, pest outbreaks, late frosts followed by hot spells in the spring, summer drought, uninterrupted winter growth: climatic hazards are multiplying and impacting crops. Rising temperatures and longer periods of dry soil are already having a very visible impact on rapeseed production, increasing inequalities between regions.

The right diagnosis is necessary to identify solutions to adapt to this situation, and also to mitigate climate change. This is why Terres Inovia is sharing its expertise on this subject via a webinar, proposed in September 2020. The institute's specialists presented the concrete recommendations already developed by Terres Inovia, emphasizing the importance of paying particular attention to planting, for example by preparing the soil upstream from the harvest of the previous crop, but also by using direct seeding and early and opportunistic seeding strategies.

The operational avenues currently being tested by the institute concern breakthrough technical itineraries, genetic progress and reasoning on the scale of the cropping system to adapt to this situation. The contribution of rapeseed to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions has also been highlighted, thanks to the high carbon storage capacity of the crop, which is enhanced when combined with legumes.