Can genome editing help transitioning to agroecology?

Meeting the challenges of agroecological transition in a context of climate change requires the use of various strategies such as biological regulations, adapted animal and plant genotypes, diversified production systems, and digital technologies. Seeds and plants, through plant breeding, play a crucial role in driving these changes. The emergence of genome editing presents a new opportunity in plant breeding practices.

Seedling emergence and biomass production of soybean cultivars under wheat-soybean relay cropping.

Diversification and intensification of cropping systems can ensure farm profitability while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Wheat-soybean relay cropping (RC), which consists in planting soybean into standing wheat prior to its harvest, may have this potential although it is poorly adopted by French and European farmers. One of the reasons underlying this lack of adoption could be poor emergence rates and biomass production of soybean, due to a severe competition from the already established primary crop for water, light and nutrients during the co-growth or intercrop phase.

Improving crop yield potential: Underlying biological processes and future prospects.

The growing world population and global increases in the standard of living both result in an increasing demand for food, feed and other plant-derived products. In the coming years, plant-based research will be among the major drivers ensuring food security and the expansion of the bio-based economy. Crop productivity is determined by several factors, including the available physical and agricultural resources, crop management, and the resource use efficiency, quality and intrinsic yield potential of the chosen crop.

Future area expansion outweighs increasing drought risk for soybean in Europe.

The European Union is highly dependent on soybean imports from overseas to meet its protein demands. Individual Member States have been quick to declare self-sufficiency targets for plant-based proteins, but detailed strategies are still lacking. Rising global temperatures have painted an image of a bright future for soybean production in Europe, but emerging climatic risks such as drought have so far not been included in any of those outlooks.

Optimized cultivar deployment improves the efficiency and stability of sunflower crop production at national scale.

Crop simulation helps to analyze environmental impacts on crops and provides year-independent context information. This information is of major importance when deciding which cultivar to choose at sowing time. Plant breeding programs design new crop cultivars which, while developed for distinct populations of environments, are nevertheless grown over large areas during their time in the market.