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Scientist at INRAE / SAS Téléphone: (+33) 2 98 95 99 62 Email: francoise.vertes@inrae.fr Address: UMR SAS, 4 rue Stang Bihan, 29000 Quimper, France Disciplines d'expertise: agronomy, écology Mots-clés: grasslands, dairy system sustainability, CN cycles, legumes, agro-ecology

Activities

Research

Current Research Topics

My main topic of research is evaluating the place and role of grasslands in sustainable dairy farming systems, to contribute to the question “How should pathways for agro-ecological systems be developed?” (i.e. methods and application).

I combine two research axes:

• study of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycling in ley-arable rotations at field, farm and/or territory scales, to model emissions to the environment
• environmental assessment and design of innovative scenarios aiming to improve farming system sustainability by increasing the place and persistence of grasslands in lowland dairy systems.

The main findings characterize ways to develop more agro-ecological dairy systems at different scales, in concertation with farmers and advisors. Transdisciplinary on-going research focuses on combining indicators to support transitions and specify conditions to optimize ecosystem services.

Collaborations

• Pegase (Rennes, https://www6.rennes.inrae.fr/pegase/)
• AgroImpact (Laon, https://www6.hautsdefrance.inra.fr/agroimpact/)
• Réseau Civam (http://www.civam.org/)
• European Grassland Federation (working groups)
• Grassland Network INRA and then INRAE-CB

• TIGA Terre de Source EIDER (Integrated assessment of sustainability and resilience in dairy systems) (2020-2022)
• CarSolEl : Carbone dans les sols des exploitations d’élevage (2018-2021)
• SOS Proteines - PERPeT : Pérennisation des prairies temporaires (2016-2020)
• CRESEB Blavet (2016-2020)
• Escapade (2014-2017)
• Cantogether (2012-2015)

I have expertise in farm-gate and soil N and P balances and contributed to the Ministry of Agriculture (MAAF) working group “Global N soil balance” and to implementation of the EU Nitrate Directive in Brittany and at the French and European levels (derogation exams (DGXI Brussels) and proposal (MAAF, 2015)), and participated in EU benchmark working groups and the French committee on fertilization working groups “Nitrogen” and “Legumes”.

Currently I am a member of the GENEM (Gestion des éléments nutritifs et émissions vers l’environnement) and PLAV2 (2nd Plan for Green Algae) scientific committees.

• Co-supervisor of doctoral students (L. Casal, 2019; O. Godinot, 2015) and contractual engineers
• Supervisor of several Master’s students
• Member of the organizing committee of the research workshop “Developing knowledge for and about the transformation of agricultural systems” (2016)

Collective services

• Since 1999: Assistant unit manager for the Quimper site of UMR SAS
• Since 2015: Co-manager of the “Ecosystem Services” transverse axis of UMR SAS
• Since 2006: Member of the scientific committee of the Conservatoire National Botanique de Brest
• Member of the scientific committee of users for two experimental units of INRAE (Ferlus and RGCO) and of the policy committee of the Mixed Technological Network MAELE (Animal Production and Environment)
• Since 2012: President of the Editorial Board of the journal “Fourrages” (WoS)

Productions

Martin G., Durand J-L., Duru M., Gastal F., Julier B., Litrico I., Louarn G., Médiène S., Moreau D., Valentin-Morison M., Novak S., Parnaudeau V., Paschalidou F., Vertès F., Voisin A-S., Cellier P., Jeuffroy M-H., 2020 ? Do tomorrow’s cropping systems need temporary 1 ley pastures? A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 40,3, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-00620-9

Graux A-I., Resmond R., Casellas E., Delaby L., Faverdin P., Le Bas C., Ripoche D., Ruget F., Thérond O., Vertès F., Peyraud J-L., 2020. High-resolution assessment of French grassland dry matter and nitrogen yields, European Journal of Agronomy, 112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2019.125952

Vertès, F., Delaby, L., Klumpp, K., Bloor, J., 2019. C–N–P Uncoupling in Grazed Grasslands and Environmental Implications of Management Intensification. In: Lemaire, G., Carvalho, P.C.D.F., Kronberg, S., Recous, S. (Eds.), Agroecosystem Diversity: Reconciling Contemporary Agriculture and Environmental Quality. Elsevier, Academic Press, 15–34. ISBN: 978-0-12-811050-8 ; https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811050-8.00002-9

Casal L., P. Durand*; N. Akkal Corfini; C. Benhamou; F. Laurent; J. Salmon Monviola; S. Ferrant; A. Probst; J.L. Probst; F. Vertès. 2019. Mitigation of stream nitrate pollution by land management in contrasted landscapes. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystem, 114, 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-019-09985-0

Clivot H., Mouny JC., Duparque A., Dinh JL., Denoroy P., Houot S., Vertès F., Trochard R., Bouthier A., Sagot S., Mary B., 2019. Modeling soil organic carbon evolution in long-term arable experiments with AMG model. Environmental Modelling & Software, 118, 99-113 https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.04.004

Petit T., Martel G., Vertès F., Couvreur S., 2019. Long-term maintenance of grasslands on dairy farms is associated with redesign and hybridisation of practices, motivated by farmers’ perceptions. Agricultural Systems, 173, 435-448 ; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2019.02.012

Nitschelm L., Parnaudeau V., Vertès F., van der Werf H.G.M., Corson M.S., Viaud V., Aubin J., Walter C. 2018. Improving LCA estimates of nitrogen emissions of crop rotations at the scale of an agricultural territory, Environmental Science & Technology, 52, 1330−1338 ; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b03865

Avadí A., Nitschelm L., Corson M., Vertès F., 2016. An LCA-based approach for environmental assessment of agricultural regions: case study of a French catchment. International Journal of LCA, 21, 4, 476–491 ; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-016-1036-6

Levain A., Vertès F., Ruiz L., Delaby L., Gascuel-odoux C., Barbier M., 2015. « I am an intensive guy »: The possibility and conditions of reconciliation through the ecological intensification framework. Environmental Management, 56, 1184–1198 ; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0548-3

Godinot O., Carof M., Vertès F., Leterme P. 2014. SyNE: an improved indicator to assess nitrogen use efficiency of farming systems. Agricultural Systems 127, 41–52, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2014.01.003