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Stochastic simulation programs are useful to study the evolution of crop populations in changing environments. These programs require to take into account some specific features characterizing farmers’ practices such as seed circulation or seed mixing. However such human-mediated evolutionary processes are different from the classical colonization or migration models used in most existing stochastic simulation programs for quantitative population genetics.To fill this gap, CropMetaPop is an individual based forward-time simulation program for quantitative population genetics developed to represent a diversity of socially established rules underlying seed circulation between farmers. For instance, one farmer can give seeds to neighbours according to his stock and receive from them according to his needs. Crop-Metapop also takes into account other important evolutionary forces encountered in crop diversity management systems, such as different population sizes and selection modalities for different populations.CropMetaPop makes it possible to study the impacts of different crop biodiversity management strategies. For this purpose, it simulates the genetic evolution over time of several crop populations submitted to genetic drift and selection and linked by explicitly modeled seed circulation and mixtures.
Mathieu Thomas; Anne Miramon; Abdel Kader Naino Jika; Baptiste Rouger; Frédéric Hospital; Camille Noûs; Isabelle Goldringer. CropMetaPop : a population genetics program to simulate the evolution of crop metapopulations. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Anne Miramon, Abdel Kader Naino Jika, Baptiste Rouger, Frédéric Hospital, Camille Noûs, Isabelle Goldringer. CropMetaPop : a population genetics program to simulate the evolution of crop metapopulations. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Anne Miramon; Abdel Kader Naino Jika; Baptiste Rouger; Frédéric Hospital; Camille Noûs; Isabelle Goldringer. 2021. "CropMetaPop : a population genetics program to simulate the evolution of crop metapopulations." , no. : 1.
In 2005, researchers from the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, INRAE) started a collaboration with the French farmers’ seed network Réseau Semences Paysannes (RSP) on bread wheat participatory breeding (PPB). The aims were: (1) to study on-farm management of crop diversity, (2) to develop population-varieties adapted to organic and low-inputs agriculture, (3) to co-develop tools and methods adapted to on-farm experiments. In this project, researchers and farmers’ organizations needed to map the history and life cycle of the population-varieties using network formalism to represent relationships between seed lots. All this information had to be centralized and stored in a database. We describe here SHiNeMaS (Seeds History and Network Management System) a web tool database. SHiNeMaS aims to provide useful interfaces to track seed lot history and related data (phenotyping, environment, cultural practices). Although SHiNeMaS has been developed in the context of a bread wheat participatory breeding program, the database has been designed to manage any kind and even multiple cultivated plant species. SHiNeMaS is available under Affero GPL licence and uses free technologies such as the Python language, Django framework or PostgreSQL database management system (DBMS). We developed SHiNeMaS, a web tool database, dedicated to the management of the history of seed lots and related data like phenotyping, environmental information and cultural practices. SHiNeMaS has been used in production in our laboratory for 5 years and farmers’ organizations facilitators manage their own information in the system.
Yannick De Oliveira; Laura Burlot; Julie C. Dawson; Isabelle Goldringer; Darkawi Madi; Pierre Rivière; Delphine Steinbach; Gaëlle Van Frank; Mathieu Thomas. SHiNeMaS: a web tool dedicated to seed lots history, phenotyping and cultural practices. Plant Methods 2020, 16, 1 -9.
AMA StyleYannick De Oliveira, Laura Burlot, Julie C. Dawson, Isabelle Goldringer, Darkawi Madi, Pierre Rivière, Delphine Steinbach, Gaëlle Van Frank, Mathieu Thomas. SHiNeMaS: a web tool dedicated to seed lots history, phenotyping and cultural practices. Plant Methods. 2020; 16 (1):1-9.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYannick De Oliveira; Laura Burlot; Julie C. Dawson; Isabelle Goldringer; Darkawi Madi; Pierre Rivière; Delphine Steinbach; Gaëlle Van Frank; Mathieu Thomas. 2020. "SHiNeMaS: a web tool dedicated to seed lots history, phenotyping and cultural practices." Plant Methods 16, no. 1: 1-9.
Agroecology calls for a global approach, integrating scientific, practical, and advocacy dimensions, to redesign agricultural systems based on ecological and socio-cultural processes and emphasizing biodiversity. This review is grounded on the results of DIVERSIFOOD, a European H2020 multi-actor research project, and explores the concept of cultivated diversity using various dimensions relevant to foster sustainable organic food systems and agro-ecological transition. From the evaluation of underutilized genetic resources and forgotten crops, DIVERSIFOOD has proposed plant breeding strategies, on-farm experimentation, and statistical tools to create new populations, landraces, and organic cultivars with intra-varietal diversity. The added value of Community Seed Banks and forms of collective seed management in Europe have been described in terms of goals and activities, and their value for improving seed regulations, treaties, and genetic resources management is discussed. In the context of the current agro-food system characterized by standardization, DIVERSIFOOD raised awareness of qualities of ‘biodiverse food systems’ in which all actors have a role to play. It highlighted the critical capacity to preserve a diversity of cultural values embodied in ‘biodiverse products’, thereby involving consumers in collective strategies for reviving diversity, and empowering all actors of organic food systems to really and efficiently implement research within their farms and networks.
Véronique Chable; Edwin Nuijten; Ambrogio Costanzo; Isabelle Goldringer; Riccardo Bocci; Bernadette Oehen; Frédéric Rey; Dionysia Fasoula; Judit Feher; Marjo Keskitalo; Beate Koller; Michalis Omirou; Pedro Mendes-Moreira; Gaëlle Van Frank; Abdel Kader Naino Jika; Mathieu Thomas; Adanella Rossi. Embedding Cultivated Diversity in Society for Agro-Ecological Transition. Sustainability 2020, 12, 784 .
AMA StyleVéronique Chable, Edwin Nuijten, Ambrogio Costanzo, Isabelle Goldringer, Riccardo Bocci, Bernadette Oehen, Frédéric Rey, Dionysia Fasoula, Judit Feher, Marjo Keskitalo, Beate Koller, Michalis Omirou, Pedro Mendes-Moreira, Gaëlle Van Frank, Abdel Kader Naino Jika, Mathieu Thomas, Adanella Rossi. Embedding Cultivated Diversity in Society for Agro-Ecological Transition. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (3):784.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVéronique Chable; Edwin Nuijten; Ambrogio Costanzo; Isabelle Goldringer; Riccardo Bocci; Bernadette Oehen; Frédéric Rey; Dionysia Fasoula; Judit Feher; Marjo Keskitalo; Beate Koller; Michalis Omirou; Pedro Mendes-Moreira; Gaëlle Van Frank; Abdel Kader Naino Jika; Mathieu Thomas; Adanella Rossi. 2020. "Embedding Cultivated Diversity in Society for Agro-Ecological Transition." Sustainability 12, no. 3: 784.
As the effects of climate change begin to be felt on yield stability, it is becoming essential to promote the use of genetic diversity in farmers’ fields. The presence of genetic variability in variety could fulfil this purpose. Indeed, the level of intra-varietal genetic diversity influences the spatio-temporal stability of yields and the disease susceptibility of crop species. Breeding history of varieties and their management practices are two factors that should influence intra-varietal genetic diversity. This paper describes the genetic diversity of eight wheat samples covering a gradient from modern single varieties to on-farm mixtures of landraces. This gradient discriminates between landrace, historical and modern varieties, considering the breeding history of varieties, between single-varieties and mixtures of varieties, and between ex situ and in situ de facto strategy in terms of management practices. Genetic diversity of these samples was analyzed with the help of 41 single nucleotide polymorphism markers located in neutral regions, through computing genetic indices at three different levels: Allelic, haplotypic and genetic group level. Population structure and kinship were depicted using discriminant analysis and kinship network analysis. Results revealed an increase in the complexity of the genetic structure as we move on the gradient of variety types (from modern single variety to in situ on-farm mixtures of landraces). For the landraces, the highest levels of genetic diversity have been observed for a landrace (Solina d’Abruzzo) continuously grown on-farm in the region of Abruzzo, in Italy, for many decades. This landrace showed an excess of haplotypic diversity compared to landraces or the historical variety that were stored in genebanks (ex situ conservation). Genetic analyses of the mixtures revealed that, despite a very high selfing rate in wheat, growing in evolutionary mixtures promotes recombination between different genetic components of the mixture, a second way to increase the level of haplotype diversity. When management practices such as growing in mixture and on-farm management are combined, they substantially increase the different levels of genetic diversity of the populations (allelic, haplotypic, genetic group diversity), and consequently promote their adaptability. Our results confirm the need to develop and manage evolving diversified large populations on-farm. These results invite crop diversity managers such as genebank curators, community seed bank managers and farmers’ organizations to adapt their management strategies to the type of variety they wish to manage, because we have shown that their choices have a strong influence on the genetic composition of the crop populations.
Abdul Rehman Khan; Isabelle Goldringer; Mathieu Thomas. Management Practices and Breeding History of Varieties Strongly Determine the Fine Genetic Structure of Crop Populations: A Case Study Based on European Wheat Populations. Sustainability 2020, 12, 613 .
AMA StyleAbdul Rehman Khan, Isabelle Goldringer, Mathieu Thomas. Management Practices and Breeding History of Varieties Strongly Determine the Fine Genetic Structure of Crop Populations: A Case Study Based on European Wheat Populations. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):613.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAbdul Rehman Khan; Isabelle Goldringer; Mathieu Thomas. 2020. "Management Practices and Breeding History of Varieties Strongly Determine the Fine Genetic Structure of Crop Populations: A Case Study Based on European Wheat Populations." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 613.
Dans les années 2000, des agriculteurs désireux de cultiver des blés correspondant à leurs besoins et soucieux d’affirmer leur autonomie vis-à-vis de l’industrie semencière, ont entrepris de relancer la sélection paysanne à la ferme. Des collaborations ont été tissées avec des généticiens de l’Inra, et se sont progressivement développées dans le cadre de projets financés. Or les financements de recherche impliquent une formalisation des partenariats, des engagements en termes de résultats académiques et une augmentation significative de la taille des projets. Dans ce nouveau contexte, comment préserver les valeurs d’émancipation paysanne et de justice cognitive sur lesquelles la collaboration paysans-chercheurs s’est originellement construite ? Cet article aborde la façon dont ce défi se pose concrètement aux acteurs de ces projets, et les précautions qu’ils mettent en œuvre pour y faire face. In the 2000s, a handful of farmers in France undertook to revive a practice fallen into disuse during agricultural modernization, i.e. on-farm plant breeding. Their motives were both to grow wheat varieties meeting their needs and to assert their independence towards the seed industry. Informal collaborations were woven with geneticists from the French institute for agronomic research (INRA), and developed further within the framework of funded projects. The foundations of a “decentralized participatory plant breeding” were then laid, both on a genetic rationale (breeding directly in the environments where the plants are to be grown) and on strong ethical principles (organizing non-hierarchical relations to let farmers question researchers’ assumptions). However, research funding involves a formalization of partnerships, commitments in terms of academic deliverables, and a significant increase in the size of projects. In this new context, how are the objectives of farmers’ empowerment and the values of cognitive justice on which the collaboration between farmers and researchers was originally built to be preserved? This article describes how this issue is actually tackled by the participants in these projects. We focus in particular on the debates raised by the creation of a database, and on the tensions it generates between centralization and decentralization. We also present the challenges raised by the dramatic increase in the number of participants, which risks to reproduce a division of tasks between researchers, farmers, and the people coordinating at a local level.
Élise Demeulenaere; Pierre Rivière; Alexandre Hyacinthe; Raphaël Baltassat; Sofia Baltazar; Jean-Sébastien Gascuel; Julien Lacanette; Hélène Montaz; Sophie Pin; Olivier Ranke; Estelle Serpolay-Besson; Mathieu Thomas; Gaëlle van Frank; Marc Vanoverschelde; Camille Vindras-Fouillet; Isabelle Goldringer. Dossier : Des recherches participatives dans la production des savoirs liés à l’environnement – La sélection participative à l’épreuve du changement d’échelle. À propos d’une collaboration entre paysans sélectionneurs et généticiens de terrain. Natures Sciences Sociétés 2017, 25, 336 -346.
AMA StyleÉlise Demeulenaere, Pierre Rivière, Alexandre Hyacinthe, Raphaël Baltassat, Sofia Baltazar, Jean-Sébastien Gascuel, Julien Lacanette, Hélène Montaz, Sophie Pin, Olivier Ranke, Estelle Serpolay-Besson, Mathieu Thomas, Gaëlle van Frank, Marc Vanoverschelde, Camille Vindras-Fouillet, Isabelle Goldringer. Dossier : Des recherches participatives dans la production des savoirs liés à l’environnement – La sélection participative à l’épreuve du changement d’échelle. À propos d’une collaboration entre paysans sélectionneurs et généticiens de terrain. Natures Sciences Sociétés. 2017; 25 (4):336-346.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÉlise Demeulenaere; Pierre Rivière; Alexandre Hyacinthe; Raphaël Baltassat; Sofia Baltazar; Jean-Sébastien Gascuel; Julien Lacanette; Hélène Montaz; Sophie Pin; Olivier Ranke; Estelle Serpolay-Besson; Mathieu Thomas; Gaëlle van Frank; Marc Vanoverschelde; Camille Vindras-Fouillet; Isabelle Goldringer. 2017. "Dossier : Des recherches participatives dans la production des savoirs liés à l’environnement – La sélection participative à l’épreuve du changement d’échelle. À propos d’une collaboration entre paysans sélectionneurs et généticiens de terrain." Natures Sciences Sociétés 25, no. 4: 336-346.
Mathieu Thomas; Sophie Caillon. Effects of farmer social status and plant biocultural value on seed circulation networks in Vanuatu. Ecology and Society 2016, 21, 1 .
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Sophie Caillon. Effects of farmer social status and plant biocultural value on seed circulation networks in Vanuatu. Ecology and Society. 2016; 21 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Sophie Caillon. 2016. "Effects of farmer social status and plant biocultural value on seed circulation networks in Vanuatu." Ecology and Society 21, no. 2: 1.
Wenc; Mathieu Thomas; Pierre Barbillon; Eric Garine. Interhousehold variability and its effects on seed circulation networks: a case study from northern Cameroon. Ecology and Society 2016, 21, 1 .
AMA StyleWenc, Mathieu Thomas, Pierre Barbillon, Eric Garine. Interhousehold variability and its effects on seed circulation networks: a case study from northern Cameroon. Ecology and Society. 2016; 21 (1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWenc; Mathieu Thomas; Pierre Barbillon; Eric Garine. 2016. "Interhousehold variability and its effects on seed circulation networks: a case study from northern Cameroon." Ecology and Society 21, no. 1: 1.
Violon, C., M. Thomas, and E. Garine. 2016. Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon. Ecology and Society 21(2):34.http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08376-210234
Chloé Violon; Mathieu Thomas; Eric Garine. Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon. Ecology and Society 2016, 21, 1 .
AMA StyleChloé Violon, Mathieu Thomas, Eric Garine. Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon. Ecology and Society. 2016; 21 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChloé Violon; Mathieu Thomas; Eric Garine. 2016. "Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon." Ecology and Society 21, no. 2: 1.
While modern agriculture relies on genetic homogeneity, diversifying practices associated with seed exchange and seed recycling may allow crops to adapt to their environment. This socio-genetic model is an original experimental evolution design referred to as on-farm dynamic management of crop diversity. Investigating such model can help in understanding how evolutionary mechanisms shape crop diversity submitted to diverse agro-environments. We studied a French farmer-led initiative where a mixture of four wheat landraces called 'Mélange de Touselles' (MDT) was created and circulated within a farmers' network. The 15 sampled MDT subpopulations were simultaneously submitted to diverse environments (e.g. altitude, rainfall) and diverse farmers' practices (e.g. field size, sowing and harvesting date). Twenty-one space-time samples of 80 individuals each were genotyped using 17 microsatellite markers and characterized for their heading date in a 'common-garden' experiment. Gene polymorphism was studied using four markers located in earliness genes. An original network-based approach was developed to depict the particular and complex genetic structure of the landraces composing the mixture. Rapid differentiation among populations within the mixture was detected, larger at the phenotypic and gene levels than at the neutral genetic level, indicating potential divergent selection. We identified two interacting selection processes: variation in the mixture component frequencies, and evolution of within-variety diversity, that shaped the standing variability available within the mixture. These results confirmed that diversifying practices and environments maintain genetic diversity and allow for crop evolution in the context of global change. Including concrete measurements of farmers' practices is critical to disentangle crop evolution processes.
Mathieu Thomas; Stéphanie Thépot; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Jouanne-Pin; Carine Remoué; Isabelle Goldringer. Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures. Molecular Ecology 2015, 24, 2937 -2954.
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Stéphanie Thépot, Nathalie Galic, Sophie Jouanne-Pin, Carine Remoué, Isabelle Goldringer. Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures. Molecular Ecology. 2015; 24 (12):2937-2954.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Stéphanie Thépot; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Jouanne-Pin; Carine Remoué; Isabelle Goldringer. 2015. "Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures." Molecular Ecology 24, no. 12: 2937-2954.
In this chapter, we develop new indicators and statistical tests to characterize patterns of crop diversity at local scales to better understand interactions between ecological and socio-cultural functions of agroecosystems. Farms, where a large number of crops (species or landraces) is grown, are known to contribute a large part of the locally available diversity of both rare and common crops but the role of farms with low diversity remains little understood: do they grow only common varieties—following a nestedness pattern typical of mutualistic networks in ecology—or do ‘crop–poor’ farmers also grow rare varieties? This question is pivotal in ongoing efforts to assess the local-scale contribution of small farms to global agrobiodiversity. We develop new network-based approaches to characterize the distribution of local crop diversity (species and infra-species) at the village level and to validate these approaches using meta-datasets from 10 countries. Our results highlight the sources of heterogeneity in crop diversity at the village level. We often identify two or more groups of farms based on their different levels of diversity. In some datasets, ‘crop–poor’ farms significantly contribute to the local crop diversity. Generally, we find that the distribution of crop diversity is more heterogeneous at the species than at the infra-species level. This analysis reveals the absence of a general pattern of crop diversity distribution, suggesting strong dependence on local agro-ecological and socio-cultural contexts. These different patterns of crop diversity distribution reflect an heterogeneity in farmers’ self-organized action in cultivating and maintaining local crop diversity, which ensures the adaptability of agroecosystems to global change.
Mathieu Thomas; Nicolas Verzelen; Pierre Barbillon; Oliver T. Coomes; Sophie Caillon; Doyle McKey; Marianne Elias; Eric Garine; Christine Raimond; Edmond Dounias; Devra Jarvis; Jean Wencélius; Christian Leclerc; Vanesse Labeyrie; Pham Hung Cuong; Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue; Bhuwon Sthapit; Ram Bahadur Rana; Adeline Barnaud; Chloé Violon; Luis Manuel Arias Reyes; Luis Latournerie Moreno; Paola De Santis; François Massol. A Network-Based Method to Detect Patterns of Local Crop Biodiversity. Advances in Ecological Research 2015, 259 -320.
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Nicolas Verzelen, Pierre Barbillon, Oliver T. Coomes, Sophie Caillon, Doyle McKey, Marianne Elias, Eric Garine, Christine Raimond, Edmond Dounias, Devra Jarvis, Jean Wencélius, Christian Leclerc, Vanesse Labeyrie, Pham Hung Cuong, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue, Bhuwon Sthapit, Ram Bahadur Rana, Adeline Barnaud, Chloé Violon, Luis Manuel Arias Reyes, Luis Latournerie Moreno, Paola De Santis, François Massol. A Network-Based Method to Detect Patterns of Local Crop Biodiversity. Advances in Ecological Research. 2015; ():259-320.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Nicolas Verzelen; Pierre Barbillon; Oliver T. Coomes; Sophie Caillon; Doyle McKey; Marianne Elias; Eric Garine; Christine Raimond; Edmond Dounias; Devra Jarvis; Jean Wencélius; Christian Leclerc; Vanesse Labeyrie; Pham Hung Cuong; Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue; Bhuwon Sthapit; Ram Bahadur Rana; Adeline Barnaud; Chloé Violon; Luis Manuel Arias Reyes; Luis Latournerie Moreno; Paola De Santis; François Massol. 2015. "A Network-Based Method to Detect Patterns of Local Crop Biodiversity." Advances in Ecological Research , no. : 259-320.
While modern agriculture relies on genetic homogeneity in the field, some farmers grow genetically heterogeneous crops and exchange seeds. Such diversifying practices associated with seed recycling may allow adaptation of crops to their environment. This socio-genetical model constitutes an original experimental evolution design called On-Farm Dynamic Management (OFDM). Studying OFDM can help understanding how evolutionary mechanisms shape crop diversity submitted to diverse agro-environmental conditions. We studied a farmer-led initiative where a mixture of four French wheat landraces called "Mélange de Touselles" (MDT) was created and distributed within a farmers' network. Fifteen populations derived by farmers from the initial mixture were sampled after 2 to 7 generations of cultivation on their farm. Twenty-one space-time samples of 80 individuals were genotyped using 17 microsatellites markers and characterized for their heading date in a "common-garden" experiment. Gene polymorphism was studied using four markers located in earliness genes. An original network-based approach was developed to depict the particular and complex genetic structure of the landraces composing the mixture. A rapid differentiation of the mixture was detected, larger at the phenotypic and gene levels compared to the neutral genetic level, indicating a potential divergent selection. We identified two interacting selection processes: variation of the mixture component frequencies and evolution of the within-variety diversity, that shaped the standing variability available within the mixture. These results confirm that farmers' practices increase genetic diversity and allow crop evolution, which is critical in the context of global change. OFDM appears as a promising model of crop experimental evolution.
Mathieu Thomas; Stéphanie Thepot; Sophie Jouanne-Pin; Nathalie Galic; Carine Remoué; Isabelle Goldringer. Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures. 2014, 009829 .
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Stéphanie Thepot, Sophie Jouanne-Pin, Nathalie Galic, Carine Remoué, Isabelle Goldringer. Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures. . 2014; ():009829.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Stéphanie Thepot; Sophie Jouanne-Pin; Nathalie Galic; Carine Remoué; Isabelle Goldringer. 2014. "Diversifying mechanisms in the on-farm evolution of crop mixtures." , no. : 009829.
Since the domestication of crop species, humans have derived specific varieties for particular uses and shaped the genetic diversity of these varieties. Here, using an interdisciplinary approach combining ethnobotany and population genetics, we document the within-variety genetic structure of a population-variety of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in relation to farmers practices to decipher their contribution to crop species evolution. Using 19 microsatellites markers, we conducted two complementary graph theory-based methods to analyze population structure and gene flow among 19 sub-populations of a single population-variety [Rouge de Bordeaux (RDB)]. The ethnobotany approach allowed us to determine the RDB history including diffusion and reproduction events. We found that the complex genetic structure among the RDB sub-populations is highly consistent with the structure of the seed diffusion and reproduction network drawn based on the ethnobotanical study. This structure highlighted the key role of the farmer-led seed diffusion through founder effects, selection and genetic drift because of human practices. An important result is that the genetic diversity conserved on farm is complementary to that found in the genebank indicating that both systems are required for a more efficient crop diversity conservation
Mathieu Thomas; Elise Demeulenaere; Julie C. Dawson; Abdul Rehman Khan; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Jouanne‐Pin; Carine Remoué; Christophe Bonneuil; Isabelle Goldringer. On‐farm dynamic management of genetic diversity: the impact of seed diffusions and seed saving practices on a population‐variety of bread wheat. Evolutionary Applications 2012, 5, 779 -795.
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Elise Demeulenaere, Julie C. Dawson, Abdul Rehman Khan, Nathalie Galic, Sophie Jouanne‐Pin, Carine Remoué, Christophe Bonneuil, Isabelle Goldringer. On‐farm dynamic management of genetic diversity: the impact of seed diffusions and seed saving practices on a population‐variety of bread wheat. Evolutionary Applications. 2012; 5 (8):779-795.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Elise Demeulenaere; Julie C. Dawson; Abdul Rehman Khan; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Jouanne‐Pin; Carine Remoué; Christophe Bonneuil; Isabelle Goldringer. 2012. "On‐farm dynamic management of genetic diversity: the impact of seed diffusions and seed saving practices on a population‐variety of bread wheat." Evolutionary Applications 5, no. 8: 779-795.
Because organic systems present complex environmental stress, plant breeders may either target very focused regions for different varieties, or create heterogeneous populations which can then evolve specific adaptation through on-farm cultivation and selection. This often leads to participatory plant breeding (PPB) strategies which take advantage of the specific knowledge of farmers. Participatory selection requires increased commitment and engagement on the part of the farmers and researchers. Projects may begin as researcher initiatives with farmer participation or farmer initiatives with researcher participation and over time evolve into true collaborations. These projects are difficult to plan in advance because by nature they change to respond to the priorities and interests of the collaborators. Projects need to provide relevant information and analysis in a time-frame that is meaningful for farmers, while remaining scientifically rigorous and innovative. This paper presents two specific studies: the first was a researcher-designed experiment that assessed the potential adaptation of landraces to organic systems through on-farm cultivation and farmer selection. The second is a farmer-led plant breeding project to select bread wheat for organic systems in France. Over the course of these two projects, many discussions among farmers, researchers and farmers associations led to the development of methods that fit the objectives of those involved. This type of project is no longer researcher-led or farmer-led but instead an equal collaboration. Results from the two research projects and the strategy developed for an ongoing collaborative plant breeding project are discussed.
Julie C. Dawson; Pierre Rivière; Jean-François Berthellot; Florent Mercier; Patrick De Kochko; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Pin; Estelle Serpolay; Mathieu Thomas; Simon Giuliano; Isabelle Goldringer. Collaborative Plant Breeding for Organic Agricultural Systems in Developed Countries. Sustainability 2011, 3, 1206 -1223.
AMA StyleJulie C. Dawson, Pierre Rivière, Jean-François Berthellot, Florent Mercier, Patrick De Kochko, Nathalie Galic, Sophie Pin, Estelle Serpolay, Mathieu Thomas, Simon Giuliano, Isabelle Goldringer. Collaborative Plant Breeding for Organic Agricultural Systems in Developed Countries. Sustainability. 2011; 3 (8):1206-1223.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulie C. Dawson; Pierre Rivière; Jean-François Berthellot; Florent Mercier; Patrick De Kochko; Nathalie Galic; Sophie Pin; Estelle Serpolay; Mathieu Thomas; Simon Giuliano; Isabelle Goldringer. 2011. "Collaborative Plant Breeding for Organic Agricultural Systems in Developed Countries." Sustainability 3, no. 8: 1206-1223.
Sustainable management of genetic resources is a crucial issue in the global context of food security. On-farm conservation is now widely acknowledged as a relevant strategy to reach this goal because it maintains evolutionary forces within and between the different components of the agricultural system. Seed exchanges between farmers play a key role in this process but are complicated to study over different agricultural contexts. This review begins by illustrating how interdisciplinary approaches combining ethnobotany and genetics helps provide a detailed analysis of the role of social and genetic dynamic interactions related to seed exchanges in traditional farming systems with farmer-led on-farm conservation. Secondly, the evolution of crop genetic diversity management is described in the context of industrialized farming systems. We follow the evolution of crop biodiversity perception by involved actors using a socio-historical perspective. After the agricultural shift from a traditional to a productivist model, recent social developments such as citizen science and participatory research movements are emerging and are strongly concerned by the question of biodiversity. These emerging trends which recognize and value seed exchanges between farmers show similarities to farmer-to-farmer seed exchanges in traditional farming systems. To what extent are these systems comparable? To fully benefit from studies in both traditional and industrialized contexts, it will be critical to develop an interdisciplinary framework to rigorously compare seed exchange systems and more generally farmer-led on-farm conservation strategies in diverse agricultural systems.
Mathieu Thomas; Julie C. Dawson; Isabelle Goldringer; Christophe Bonneuil. Seed exchanges, a key to analyze crop diversity dynamics in farmer-led on-farm conservation. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 2011, 58, 321 -338.
AMA StyleMathieu Thomas, Julie C. Dawson, Isabelle Goldringer, Christophe Bonneuil. Seed exchanges, a key to analyze crop diversity dynamics in farmer-led on-farm conservation. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 2011; 58 (3):321-338.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMathieu Thomas; Julie C. Dawson; Isabelle Goldringer; Christophe Bonneuil. 2011. "Seed exchanges, a key to analyze crop diversity dynamics in farmer-led on-farm conservation." Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 58, no. 3: 321-338.