EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES FOR POPULATION DIVERSITY UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF ON-FARM WHEAT BREEDING AND CROP MANAGEMENT: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS

Most of the work done during the internship in INRA Rennes is part of the SOLIBAM Program WP3 (exploitation of diversity in breeding) and WP4 (exploitation of diversity in crop management). The results are also integrated in WP1 which has an umbrella activity about trait evaluation and methodologies to describe diversity. The work was basically divided into tasks: (1) the report writing, which was done in parallel to the rest of activities during the duration of the internship; (2) the scientific research, which has been done step by step including literature research, data analysis of the PaysBlé first results, protocol elaboration from the lessons learn after the first two steps, field data collection, and finally testing the new protocol; (3) the collaboration in field data collection with other interns (wheat characterization, soil sampling, Coccinellidae, Carabidae and Aphids monitoring) in order to be familiar with the wheat morphology, development and data collection, understanding the global scope of the SAD-Paysage unit and the crop phenotypic diversity; additionally (4) the attendance of one field day at the Pont de l'Arche farm (Pays de la Loire region) under participatory plant breeding of wheat landraces, farmer varieties, and mixtures in order to recognize the wheat biodiversity potential and the farmer selection criteria.