Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : In French Guiana, the population growth will result in an increase in demand for agricultural products and thus, will lead to an increase in the amount of tropical forests converted into cropland or pasture. Impacts of different agricultural systems on greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes have not been studied in French Guiana. In this context, the fire-free chop-and-mulch method was used to convert a tropical forest site to agriculture. This study focused on soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and we compared four land uses: (1) the undisturbed tropical forest, (2) recently converted grassland and recently converted croplands (fertilized soybean/maize rotation) with either (3) disk tillage or (4) no tillage.N2O measurements were obtained through the chamber technique and conducted over a 1-year period (measurements began 19 months after the forest was cleared). N2O fluxes were related to soil parameters measured at each sampling date: nitrate and ammonium contents, gravimetric water content (GWC) and temperature.Through the entire period, the mean (±standard error) and median N2O fluxes were 3.8 ± 0.5 and 2.7 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for undisturbed tropical forest and 2.4 ± 0.9 and 0.8 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for grassland (mowed Brachiaria ruziziensis). For croplands, no significant difference was found for N2O emissions between both agricultural practices. The mean (±standard error) and median N2O fluxes were 8.5 ± 1.2 and 4.0 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for disk tillage plots and 8.5 ± 1.3 and 3.6 g N ha−1 day−1, respectively for no tillage plots. Nitrogen inputs (due to the application of fertilizer or due to the mineralization of crop residues) led to higher N2O fluxes, resulting in significantly higher mean N2O emissions from croplands compared to the forest, when only considering land use effect on N2O fluxes in a statistical model. The soil nitrate content, GWC and temperature had a significant positive effect on N2O fluxes. Taking into account these soil parameters in another statistical model, N2O emissions from croplands were not higher than the natural N2O emissions from tropical forest soils. Our results suggest that, if more forest will have to be converted in the course of the expected population growth in French Guiana, it could have low impact on the soil N2O fluxes (similar to natural fluxes from forest) with the improving of farming techniques (for example modification of the splitting of N-fertilizer) in the cropping plots.
ISSN: 0167-8809

hal-01204228
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204228
DOI : 10.1016/j.agee.2015.04.004
PRODINRA : 307607

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : Publication Inra prise en compte dans l'analyse bibliométrique des publications scientifiques mondiales sur les Fruits, les Légumes et la Pomme de terre. Période 2000-2012. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/256699
Background and Aims Plastic tree-shelters are increasingly used to protect tree seedlings against browsing animals and herbicide drifts. The biomass allocation in young seedlings of deciduous trees is highly disturbed by common plastic tree-shelters, resulting in poor root systems and reduced diameter growth of the trunk. The shelters have been improved by creating chimney-effect ventilation with holes drilled at the bottom, resulting in stimulated trunk diameter growth, but the root deficit has remained unchanged. An experiment was set up to elucidate the mechanisms behind the poor root growth of sheltered Prunus avium trees. Methods Tree seedlings were grown either in natural windy conditions or in tree-shelters. Mechanical wind stimuli were suppressed in ten unsheltered trees by staking. Mechanical stimuli (bending) of the stem were applied in ten sheltered trees using an original mechanical device. Key Results Sheltered trees suffered from poor root growth, but sheltered bent trees largely recovered, showing that mechano-sensing is an important mechanism governing C allocation and the shoot-root balance. The use of a few artificial mechanical stimuli increased the biomass allocation towards the roots, as did natural wind sway. It was demonstrated that there was an acclimation of plants to the imposed strain. Conclusions This study suggests that if mechanical stimuli are used to control plant growth, they should be applied at low frequency in order to be most effective. The impact on the functional equilibrium hypothesis that is used in many tree growth models is discussed. The consequence of the lack of mechanical stimuli should be incorporated in tree growth models when applied to environments protected from the wind (e.g. greenhouses, dense forests).
ISSN: 0305-7364

hal-01032056
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032056
DOI : 10.1093/aob/mcn054

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Correspondance : Dupraz@supagro.inra.fr
En conduite agroforestière, durant leurs premières années de croissance les arbres sont protégés par des abris individuels plastiques ventilés (disponibilité du C02, limitation de l'augmentation de temperature). Les arbres conduits en abri ont une croissance en biomasse totale comparable à celle des arbres sans abris (Dupraz, 1997b), mais présentent une croissance en hauteur plus importante,une croissance en diamètre inferieure (Bergez and Dupraz, 2000) et une biomasse racinaire plus faible de 17% (Dupraz, 1997a). Des études (Bergez and Dupraz, 2000 ; Dupraz and Bergez, 1999) ont conduit à éliminer la responsabilité des facteurs microclimatiques pour expliquer ces diffférences. Il restait un facteur explicatif : I'absence de sollicitation mécanique des arbres dans les abris. En effet, les sollicitations mécaniques telles que le vent induisent des mouvements des axes de plantes. Il a été démontré que les plantes ne perçoivent pas les forces auxquelles elles sont soumises mais leur état de déformation (Coutand and Moulia, 2000). Celle mécano-perception engendre des modifications de la croissance en dimension (Larson, 1954; Coutand et al., 2000) et de l'allocation de la biomasse des vegetaux (Niklas, 1998). Cette expérimentation avait donc pour but de voir si des arbres en abri soumis à des sollicitations mécaniques artificielles retrouvaient une croissance en dimensions et une répartition de la biomasse semblables à celle des arbres de plein vent. L'expérimentation a été conduite sur des merisiers d'un an et comportait 4 traitements : Abri, Abri+flexion artificielles, Sans Abri+vent, Sans abri+tuteurage. Les résultats ne montrent aucune différence de biomasse totale produite entre les 4 traitements. Par contre, les sollicitations mécaniques (naturelles ou artificielles) réduisent la croissance en hauteur (d'environ 60%), stimulent la croissance radiale d'environ 30% et induisent une allocation de la biomasse en faveur des racines. L'absence de sollicitations mécaniques est donc le facteur responsable des différences entre arbres en abri et arbres au vent.Quantitativement, les flexions artificielles n'étaient pas équivalentes à celles induites par le vent et n'ont pas mimé complètement les effets du vent. Reproduire les effets mécaniques du vent dans l'abri nécessite de parvenir à quantifier les variations d'état mécanique induites par le vent sur les axes des arbres. Ceci suppose donc d'abord de comprendre le couplage fluide-structure. Ce type de travail a été initié sur un couvet de luzerne, il explique les couplages vent-mouvements des tiges à la surface du couvert (Py, 2005). Ce type de travail pourrait servir de base à la prolongation de ce travail.
L'arbre isolé
Montpellier, France

hal-01032058
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032058