# Reintroducing French High-Protein Landrace Maize Populations to Support Autonomy in Brittany's Pig Farming Sector

Cyril Bauland, Bernard Gesret, Dominique Kermarrec, Alain Charcosset, Brigitte Gouesnard, Nathalie Moutier, Jean-Eric Chauvin

► To cite this version:

Cyril Bauland, Bernard Gesret, Dominique Kermarrec, Alain Charcosset, Brigitte Gouesnard, et al. Reintroducing French High-Protein Landrace Maize Populations to Support Autonomy in Brittany's Pig Farming Sector. Scientific Conference on Breeding to meet environmental and societal challenges, May 2025, Coimbra (PT), Portugal. , EUCARPIA Scientific Conference on Breeding to meet environmental and societal challenges, May 26-29, 2025, Abstract e-Book, pp.94, 2025. [hal-05090453](https://hal.science/hal-05090453v1)

HAL Id: hal-05090453

https://hal.science/hal-05090453v1

Submitted on 30 May 2025

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C.Bauland(1), D. Kermarrec (2),
B. Gesret (2), A.Charcosset (1),
B. Gouesnard (3), N.Moutier (4),
J-E Chauvin (5)

(1) Génétique Quantitative et Évolution - le Moulon
INRAE - Université Paris Saclay - CNRS -
AgroParisTech, F91190 Gif sur Yvette, France

(2) UE 1346 RGCO (Ressources génétiques végétales en conditions océaniques), INRAE, Kéraïber, 29260, Ploudaniel, France

(3) AGAP Institut, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, University Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France

(4) Institut de Génétique, Environnement et Protection des Plantes, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, 35000, Rennes, France

(5) jean-eric.chauvin@inrae.fr IGEPP, INRAE,
Institut Agro, Univ Rennes, 29260, Ploudaniel,
France

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# Reintroducing French High-Protein Landrace Maize Populations to Support Autonomy in Brittany's Pig Farming Sector

## Introduction - Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture in Brittany

Leveraging local agricultural context and national genetic resources for a greener future.

Brittany is a major agricultural region, ranking second in France and fourth in Europe in terms of agricultural value produced. Its economy is largely based on livestock farming (cattle, pigs, poultry) and polyculture (cereals and vegetables). The current agroecological transition promotes the design, promotion, and development of sustainable, innovative, diversified, and high-performing cropping systems that minimize environmental impact. Organic farming is a key component of this transition.

Since 2022, **BioDiverSystem** program funded by the **Brittany region** has established an organic **cropping system at INRAE Ploudaniel** (near Brest). This system combines various strategies at the plot and rotation levels. It aims for high agricultural production by optimizing biodiversity-provided services (species diversity, tolerances, mixtures, etc.) to: **1) disrupt pest behavior and improve control efficacy, thereby eliminating synthetic pesticide use, and 2) reduce fertilizer use by maximizing atmospheric nitrogen fixation and soil resource exploration. The rotation, designed without any external nitrogen inputs, is structured around 6 cash crops, alternating 3 spring crops (industrial green bean, maize, and potato), 2 winter crops (soft wheat, triticale-faba bean mixture), and 3 cover crops. In this context, genetic factors are being studied for both potato (selecting varieties adapted to organic farming, resistant to late blight, and requiring very few pesticides) and maize (selecting maize varieties with high protein content).**

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>Organic Farming System – INRAE Ploudaniel (5 plots of 0.4 ha)</figcaption></figure>

## An Opportunity for Maize Valorization and Genetic Resource Utilization

High-protein maize offers a local alternative to imported feed, leveraging national genetic diversity.

There is an opportunity for local farmers to enhance the value of grain maize and for utilizing the characterization of our national collection of maize landrace genetic resources. **(1) Nearby pig farmers at our experimental unit in Ploudaniel are interested in harvesting maize grain with higher protein content to reduce the proportion of protein in feed rations currently supplied by Brazilian soy. (2) In 2002, 262 maize landraces from metropolitan France in our national collection were evaluated in a trial alongside 62 French synthetics and 7 hybrid controls. Traits studied included flowering dates and biochemical traits analyzed by near-infrared spectroscopy. The trial was conducted at two locations (Mauguio and Saint Martin de Hinx) with two replicates per location.**

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /><figcaption>French collection phenotyping - ECPGR EVA 2021
flowering earliness</figcaption></figure>

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## Data Analysis: Selecting Candidate Populations

Identifying promising landraces within 50 selected based on **protein content** and European phenotyping data for **earliness**

Using data from the INRAE 2002 trials for protein content via NIRS (in collaboration with Limagrain) and phenotyping data from European populations (ECPGR EVA 2021 network), we selected **50 candidate populations that meet the requirements of Finistère pig farmers.**

These 50 populations were tested in grain harvest trials within the zero-input organic **BioDiverSystem** platform for two years (2023 and 2024) with a commercial hybrid as control. The trial design involved two complete blocks of plots with 4 rows (8m² harvested from the two central rows). Seeds were purchased from our genetic resources center, and the protein content of the harvested grains was analyzed by laboratory NIRS by our colleagues at the Mauguio/Montpellier experimental unit.

## Results from Two Years of Trials in Brittany

Significant genotype effects observed, with lodging resistance being a key selection criterion

Analyses of variance show highly significant genotype effects for the traits of interest. Despite the contrasting weather conditions between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, combining data from both years allows for effective sorting of populations based on our criteria, particularly tolerance to lodging, which is a priority for farmer adoption

## Project Continuation: Development and Improvement

Advancing selected landraces towards farmer adoption and enhanced performance

Two populations have been selected for further development: "Lourdios.C1" for its protein yield equivalent to the commercial reference hybrid, and "Argeles" for its balance of protein yield and earliness. The next steps include:

* Multiplication and On-Farm Testing: Multiplication by our commercial subsidiary, **Agri Obtentions**, for testing on farms and for registration on the CTPS "agricultural landraces" C list (European Commission Directive E 2008/62/EC), **promoting farmer seed autonomy**.

* Farmer Integration: Valorization by farmers and pig breeders within their production systems (utilizing manure spreading, reducing vegetable protein purchases), leading to **strengthened local economic resilience**.

* Maize population Improvement: Enhancing populations through inter-population hybridization and intra-population selection to improve stem lodging resistance, increase protein yield, etc

Illustration of the two maize landrace populations selected (©CRB GAMéT)

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