MERCI: a simple method and decision-support tool to estimate availability of nitrogen from a wide range of cover crops to the next cash crop
2024
Constantin, Julie | Minette, Sébastien | Vericel, Gregory | Jordan-Meille, Lionel | Justes, Eric | AGroécologie, Innovations, teRritoires (AGIR) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan (INP - PURPAN) ; Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP) ; Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | CHAMBRE REGIONALE D'AGRICULTURE POITOU CHARENTES ; Partenaires IRSTEA ; Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA) | Arvalis Institut du Végétal, Baziège | Interactions Sol Plante Atmosphère (UMR ISPA) ; Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques de Bordeaux-Aquitaine (Bordeaux Sciences Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | Cirad Direction Générale (Cirad-DG) ; Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad) | Chambre Régionale d’Agriculture Nouvelle Aquitaine, Arvalis Institut du vegetal, Bordeaux ScienceAgro and INRAE. This study was financially supported by the French Ministry of Agriculture in the MERCI Project (AAP 775 CasDAR 2018).
International audience
Afficher plus [+] Moins [-]anglais. Background and aims Cover crops can efficiently increase nitrogen (N) recycling in agroecosystems. By providing a green-manure effect for the next crop, they allow reduced mineral fertilisation. We developed a decision-support tool, called MERCI, to predict N available from cover crop residues over time, from a single measurement of fresh shoot biomass.Methods We coupled a large experimental database from France with a simulation experiment using the soil-crop model STICS. More than 25 000 measurements of 74 species of cover crops as a sole crop or bispecific mixtures were collected. Linear regression models, at the species, family or entire-database level depending on the data available, were built to predict dry biomass, N amount and C:N ratio. Dynamics of N mineralized and leaching from cover crop residues were predicted at 24 contrasting sites as a function of the biomass, carbon (C):N ratio and termination date. Results Correlations between fresh biomass, dry biomass and N amounts in experimental data were strong (r = 0.80-0.96), and predicted N amounts in fresh shoot biomass were relatively accurate. Percentages of N mineralized and leached simulated bySTICS were explained mainly by the C:N ratio, site and number of months after termination, but to different degrees.Conclusion MERCI is an easy and robust decision support tool for predicting N release in the field, and could thus be adopted by advisors and farmers to improve management of nutrient recycling in temperate arable cropping systems.
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