Innovative cropping systems designed to reach both environmental and production targets: Data set of biotic and abiotic variables from a twelve-year French field trial.

The data set describes variables collected from a French (N 48.84°, E 1.95°) field trial, over a twelve-year period (2009-2020), in which four innovative cropping systems designed to reach multiple environmental and production goals were assessed. The four cropping systems were designed with new combinations of agricultural practices; they differed in terms of pesticide uses, nitrogen inputs, tillage practices, and crop sequences. Both biotic and abiotic variables were measured. In a previous data paper, we focused on nitrogen fluxes collected from two systems, over eight years (2009-2016). In the present one, we enlarge the scope of the variables, including more crop descriptions and environmental indicators, from all four systems, and over a longer period (2009-2020). The biotic data are: growth stages; aboveground plant nitrogen content and biomass collected at different growth stages, depending on the species; yield components of all the crops; and yield harvested with a combine machine. No weed, crop disease, and pest data are described. The abiotic data are physical and chemical properties of the soil (i.e. texture, calcium carbonate content, pH, organic carbon contents, and nitrogen contents) collected at different assessment periods. All agricultural practices, and climate were regularly recorded, and the treatment frequency indexes and the energy consumptions were computed. These data could be used for benchmarking, to design low-input systems, to improve models for parameterization and validation, and to increase the predictive accuracy of models of crop growth and development, specifically for orphan species such as linseed, faba bean or hemp, and for soil carbon and soil nitrogen fluxes in various conditions.

Nitrous oxide fluxes and soil nitrogen contents over eight years in four cropping systems designed to meet both environmental and production goals: A French field nitrogen data set.

With the development of agroecosystem approaches, new cropping systems have to be designed to deliver multiple ecosystem services. In this context, we assessed four innovative cropping systems, designed to reach multiple environmental and production goals, in a long-term field experiment (2009-2020) at Grignon (France, N 48.84°, E 1.95°). A wide range of measurements were made, for nutrient cycles and organic matter in particular, for an analysis of interactions occurring during the emissions of greenhouse gases. We focus here on nitrogen (N) data collected over eight years (2009-2016). The data include: nitrous oxide fluxes (N2O), soil N contents (NO3 - and NH4 +), aboveground plant N content and biomass at maturity, yield, agricultural practices including N spreading, and climate. The four systems differ in terms of tillage practices, N inputs, and species, which is likely to affect soil N. Field data were collected and N2O fluxes were calculated. These original new cropping systems are innovating, resulting in new combinations of agricultural practices. The data obtained could be used to improve models for parameterization and validation, and to increase the predictive accuracy of models of N losses in original conditions.

Deviation from the grain protein concentration-grain yield negative relationship is highly correlated to post-anthesis N uptake in winter wheat.

In plants, carbon and nitrogen (N) economies are intimately linked at the physiological and biochemical level. The strong genetic negative correlation between grain yield and grain protein concentration observed in various cereals is an illustration of this inter-relationship. Studies have shown that deviation from this negative relationship (grain protein deviation or GPD) has a genetic basis, but its physiological basis is still poorly understood. This study analysed data on 27 genotypes grown in multienvironment field trials, representing a wide range of agricultural practices and climatic conditions. The objective was to identify physiological processes related to the genetic variability in GPD. Under most environments, GPD was significantly related to post-anthesis N uptake independently of anthesis date and total N at anthesis. The underlying physiological trait might be related to genotypic differences in either access to soil N, regulation of N uptake by plant N status, or ability to maintain root activity during the grain-filling period. GPD is an interesting potential target in breeding as it appears to be relatively robust across different environments and would be valuable in increasing total N uptake by maturity.