Sunflower agronomy: 10 years of research in partnership within the “Sunflower” Technological Joint Unit (UMT) in Toulouse

OCL

Philippe P. Debaeke (1) , Emmanuelle Bret-Mestries (1, 2) , Jean-Noel J.-N. Aubertot (1) , Pierre Casadebaig (1) , Luc Champolivier (2) , Jean-François Dejoux (3) , Pierre Maury (1) , Celia Seassau (1)

1 AGIR - AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires
2 Terres Inovia
3 CESBIO - Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère

In order to make more efficient plant breeding and gain in competitiveness, the sector of oil-protein crops decided to intensify agronomic research on sunflower crop. The "Sunflower" Joint Technological Unit (Unite Mixte Technologique (UMT) "Tournesol", in French) was launched in the Toulouse area in 2006, associating closely INRA and Terres Inovia. First focused on improving oil production through an agronomic approach, the UMT was renewed in 2011 with a broader partnership and a more assertive orientation towards the development of decision-making tools. The objective of this paper is to highlight the relevance and productivity of this user-oriented research facility. The main results relate to (i) the co-construction of a simulation model (SUNFLO) that can be parameterized and manipulated by Terres Inovia engineers, (ii) the joint exploration of supra-field scales and new methods for agronomic diagnosis and yield forecasting based on remote sensing, (iii) the tuning and dissemination of operational decision rules, (iv) the production of essential knowledge on emergent and/or damaging fungal diseases, as well as on complex interactions between genotype, environment and crop management. After a concluding symposium in 2016, new requests for sunflower research were formulated by the participants. They also advocated for a diversification of crops to consider in order to better meet the needs of the whole oil-protein sector.

In order to make more efficient plant breeding and gain in competitiveness, the sector of oil-protein crops decided to intensify agronomic research on sunflower crop. The "Sunflower" Joint Technological Unit (Unité Mixte Technologique (UMT) "Tournesol", in French) was launched in the Toulouse area in 2006, associating closely INRA and Terres Inovia. First focused on improving oil production through an agronomic approach, the UMTwas renewed in 2011 with a broader partnership and a more assertive orientation towards the development of decision-making tools. The objective of this paper is to highlight the relevance and productivity of this user-oriented research facility. The main results relate to (i) the co-construction of a simulation model (SUNFLO) that can be parameterized and manipulated by Terres Inovia engineers, (ii) the joint exploration of supra-field scales and new methods for agronomic diagnosis and yield forecasting based on remote sensing, (iii) the tuning and dissemination of operational decision rules, (iv) the production of essential knowledge on emergent and/or damaging fungal diseases, as well as on complex interactions between genotype, environment and crop management. After a concluding symposium in 2016, new requests for sunflower research were formulated by the participants. They also advocated for a diversification of crops to consider in order to better meet the needs of the whole oil-protein sector. Keywords: sunflower / collaborative research / agronomy / decision support / oil concentration Résumé-L'agronomie du tournesol : 10 années de recherche en partenariat dans l'UMT Tournesol à Toulouse. Afin de valoriser les avancées en sélection végétale et de gagner en compétitivité, la filière oléoprotéagineuse a jugé nécessaire d'intensifier la recherche agronomique sur le tournesol. L'Unité Mixte Technologique (UMT) « Tournesol » associant étroitement l'INRA et Terres Inovia a été mise en place en région toulousaine en 2006 à Toulouse. Tout d'abord centrée sur l'amélioration de la production d'huile de tournesol par une approche agronomique, elle a bénéficié d'un partenariat élargi lors de son renouvellement en 2011 affirmant une orientation plus marquée vers le développement d'outils pour la décision. Cet article illustre la pertinence et la productivité de ce dispositif en s'appuyant sur quelques résultats significatifs, en particulier : (i) la co-construction d'un modèle de simulation (SUNFLO) paramétrable et manipulable par les ingénieurs de Terres Inovia, (ii) l'exploration en commun des échelles supra-parcellaires et de la télédétection pour le diagnostic agronomique et la prévision des rendements, (iii) la construction et la diffusion de règles de décision opérationnelles, (iv) la production de connaissances sur des maladies émergentes ou nuisibles, ainsi que sur des interactions complexes entre le génotype, l'environnement et la conduite de culture. À l'issue d'un colloque conclusif en 2016, de nouvelles demandes à la recherche ont été formulées. Elles passent également par une diversification des objets d'étude pour mieux répondre aux besoins de la filière oléoprotéagineuse (the full text is available in French on https://www.ocl-journal.org/10.1051/ocl/2020006/olm). Mots clés : tournesol / recherche collaborative / agronomie / aide à la décision / teneur en huile ☆ Contribution to the Topical Issue "Sunflower / Tournesol".

Mots clés: agronomy; decision support; oil concentration; sunflower; collaborative research

Domaines: Sciences agricoles

Philippe P. Debaeke, Emmanuelle Bret-Mestries, Jean-Noel J.-N. Aubertot, Pierre Casadebaig, Luc Champolivier, et al.. Sunflower agronomy: 10 years of research in partnership within the “Sunflower” Technological Joint Unit (UMT) in Toulouse. OCL Oilseeds and fats crops and lipids, 2020, 27, pp.14. ⟨10.1051/ocl/2020006⟩. ⟨hal-02874837⟩