Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
At the fi eld level, only agronomic predictive models using the appro-
priate biogical and environmental parameters [210] should be able to take
into account interactions between plants and their environment to obtain
an integrated view of the various inputs or outputs, infl uencing crop NUE
[211,212]. One of the main challenges in the future will be to develop reli-
able decision support systems with the help of sensors [213,214] and biolog-
ical diagnostic tools in precision agriculture, in order to optimize the appli-
cation of N under organic or conventional conditions in a more sustainable
manner. Moreover, the establishment of such models will need to be scaled
up at the ecological level [44], in order to obtain a better understanding as
to how N cycling is occurring from organisms to the whole ecosystem [57].
A proposed strategy for integrating multidisciplinary approaches for im-
proving crop NUE is summarized in Figure 4. This strategy highlights the ne-
cessity to develop an integrated approach between the public and private sec-
tors to improve our understanding and control of the biological and agronomic
basis of NUE in crops of major economical importance. However, the nature
of an agronomic trait such as NUE is complex, due to the intervention of mul-
tiple elements interacting with each other as a function of both plant develop-
ment and environmental constraints. Moreover, the interaction between these
elements appears to be not only species-specifi c but also specifi c to a given
genetic background. Therefore, improvement of this understanding will re-
quire the development of a multi-disciplinary approach, integrating expertise
from fundamental and more applied studies in crop developmental biology,
physiology, genomics, genetics, physiology, modeling, agronomy and breed-
ing [212]. In addition, taking advantage of the genetic variability that already
exists or that can be created, will provide a valuable contribution to the genetic
and physiological dissection of NUE under mineral and organic N nutrition
conditions and an evaluation of the genes or group of genes involved. The
major breakthrough expected from this multidisciplinary approach will be to
provide 1) useful alleles or gene-based markers to breeders for the production
of genetically modifi ed plants or for marker assisted selection (MAS) ; 2) pre-
dictive biological markers for breeders to improve selection for higher NUE
by conventional breeding; 3) tools for farmers to monitor and adjust mineral
and/or organic N fertilization for obtaining optimal yields compatible with a
strategy for sustainability of the agricultural practices needed to feed the world
population, while preserving the environment.
 
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