Integrated modelling of microbial-plant interactions in multi-species agroecosystems: the project MODIMIV

International audience

anglais. The MODIMIV (“Modeling relationships between microbial and plant diversity in multi-species agroecosystems”) exploratory project (2024-2025) within the INRAE Biosefair meta-programme (https://biosefair.hub.inrae.fr) sets out to redefine our understanding of the intricate dynamics within multi-species vegetation covers (https://biosefair.hub.inrae.fr/rubriques-verticales/nos-actions/projets-exploratoires/modimiv-projet-exploratoire-2024-2026). Recognising the pivotal role played by soil microbial diversity and plant diversity in governing carbon and nutrient cycles, MODIMIV is committed to unravelling these complex interactions, with grasslands serving as revealing case studies for broader multi-species ecosystems.Conventional modelling approaches often compartmentalise plant and microbial components, overlooking their dynamic interplays. In contrast, MODIMIV challenges this view by integrating the dynamics of microbial and plant diversity into simulation tools, thereby offering key insights for sustainable agricultural management practices. Microbial diversity significantly shapes processes such as nitrification, denitrification and carbon sequestration, while plant diversity holds promise of optimising microbial carbon and nitrogen use by harmonising nutrient supply and demand.At the core of MODIMIV lies the ambition to develop integrated simulators capable of capturing the material flows within and between microorganisms and plants. By aligning the availability of nutrients with the needs of plants and microbes, this approach seeks to shed light on the nuanced interplay within ecosystems.The main objectives of MODIMIV include:- Investigating how biodiversity shapes carbon and nutrient cycling across diverse, multi-species vegetation cover to deepen our understanding of ecosystem dynamics.- Developing advanced simulation tools that seamlessly integrate plant and microbial diversity to enrich the modelling of ecological processes associated with herbaceous covers.- Assessing the effects of plant and microbial diversity on nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration, highlighting their central role in supporting ecosystem sustainability.- Providing long-term prediction models: Equipping stakeholders with robust predictive models to strengthen sustainable agricultural practices by offering foresight for sustainable management strategies.Taking a comprehensive approach, MODIMIV leverages data from multi-year mesocosm studies and replicated field experiments on grassland and agro-grassland treatments in Clermont-Ferrand (France) to refine prototypes. Moreover, the project actively welcomes collaboration with other initiatives, including the EJP Soil AGROECOSeqC project. With grasslands as its primary focus, MODIMIV aims to show the effectiveness of its simulators, particularly in low-input agroecosystems. These ecosystems serve as compelling examples of how plant communities adeptly modulate nutrient availability to soil microbiota, thereby promoting plant growth. Through these collaborative efforts, MODIMIV seeks to transcend conventional modelling paradigms and advocate for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices across a diverse array of multi-species vegetation covers.