Bestim network : stimulating plant health in agroécological systems
Résumé
The evolution of agriculture is facing strong societal expectations. One of them is to drastically
reduce the use of synthetic inputs and in particular of plant protection products (PPP). In response,
farmers and professionals in charge of agricultural development must invent a so-called "agroecological" agriculture, by ensuring profitability and sustainability of production systems and by
implementing a combination of many levers. The BESTIM network is part of this logic and proposes the
concept of "agroecological immunity" which aims to optimize the stimulation of plant health in efficient
agroecological systems. We’ve adapted the concept of ecological immunity initially described in the
animal system (Sadd and Schmid-Hempel, 2009; Schulenburg et al., 2009), to the plant system placed in
an agroecological context.
Plant health is to be understood here in a broad sense. It covers all the physiological mechanisms that
ensure the expression of an efficient immune system that protects the plant from pests and diseases
while guaranteeing optimal development (yield, quality) and taking into account its environment
(microbiota, abiotic stresses). The objective of the BESTIM network is not limited to understanding the
physiological mechanisms involved in the application of different levers, alone or in combination, that
impact immunity. It aims, during the 5 years of the approval period (2021 - 2025), to transfer this
knowledge from the laboratory to the field and to associate it with other alternative levers already
available or being developed to achieve redesigned cropping systems tending towards "low inputs".
The RMT BESTIM brings together many organizations wishing to engage collectively in this
agroecological immunity approach: Research institute, universities, Grandes Ecoles, agricultural
Highschool, Technical Institute, R&D centers, Producers associations….
You can join the network here: https://rmt-bestim.org/