Improving alfalfa varieties and

cropping systems in a bioeconomy

framework

C. Huyghe

Deputy Scientific Director Agriculture, Inra, France

International Alfalfa Conference, 26 october 2015, Bengbu, China

• Food first

• Sustainable yields

• Cascading

• Circularity (use, reuse, recycle)

• Diversity (as a source of resilence)

• Governance of the transition

.02

The six principles of Bioeconomy, according to

the Standing Committee for Agricultural Research

(EU, 2015)

Sustainable agri-food systems

• A key stake

– Increasing world population, with an increasing consumption of animal products

– In a context of increasing impacts on environment and depletion of natural resources (land, water, fossil energy, P)

• Proteins are a central issue

– Non substitutable

– At the very heart of environmental impact

Reactive nitrogen !

• Bioeconomy is a new paradigm for revisiting this issue

• Agroecology for rethinking the agricultural systems

Food first: Daily protein consumption

In g/hab/d

Source: FAOStat

Share of animal protein consumption

In 2010, a total animal protein consumption of 31.57 g/hab/d

Beef+sheep38%

Pig13%

Poultry12%Other

meats1%

Eggs8%

Milk17%

Fish11%

Plantproteinequivalent

In 2010, a total plant protein equivalent of 112 g/hab/d = A conversion rate of 3.56

Milk Fish Chicken Turkey Pork Eggs Beef Sheep

2.31 2.40 2.77 3.18 3.30 3.40 9.84 9.84

Protein efficiency = g plant prot /g animal prot.

How to meet world demand ? Protein example: insolvable equation with present parameters

Plant proteins Animal proteins

Daily consumption (g/hab/d) (from FAO)

World demand in proteins (Mt/an) (FAO)

Plant proteins Animal proteins

How to meet world demand ? Protein example: insolvable equation with present parameters

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1961 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

Estimated world demand in plant proteins assuming a

conversion coefficient of 3.56 from plant to animal proteins (Mt/an) (personal calculation)

180 Mt more

proteins = 180 Mha

of soybean !

Plant proteins

The share of the use of biomass produced

worldwide

For a total volume of 12,18 Billion tons (in 2011)

Source: M. Carus, Scar 2015

Proteins and N: a schematic representation

Human nutrition

Animal nutrition Technological uses and BBI

Grasslands

Crops in rotation

Cereals

Other ressources

China

Producing countries

Imported protein rich feedstuff

Plant proteins

Forages

Fertilizers

Manure

N2O N leachings

NH3

Intercrops and

covercrops

Energy N2 N2

Proteins and N: a schematic representation

Where are alfalfa issues?

Human nutrition

Animal nutrition Technological uses and BBI

Grasslands

Crops in rotation

Cereals

Other ressources

China

Producing countries

Imported protein rich feedstuff

Plant proteins

Forages

Fertilizers

Manure

N2O N leachings

NH3

Intercrops and

covercrops

Energy N2 N2

Px proteins

.011

Alfalfa has the highest potential of protein

production per unit area

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Pro

tein

co

nte

nt

(%D

M)

Yield (t DM/ha)

Non-fixing grains

Grain legumes

Forages

0,5 t/ha

1 t/ha

2t/ha

Alfalfa

.012

Genetic improvements in alfalfa

96

98

100

102

104

106

108

92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110

Pro

tein

co

nte

nt

(% c

he

ck)

Dry matter yield (% check)

2014

2007

2015

2013

2006

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

• Genetic gains in biomass production (mainly due to better disease resistance)

• Limited gains in protein content (physiological limit due to the photosynthetic

role of leaf proteins)

• Significant improvements in dry matter digestibility: consequences on animal

nutrition

13 .013

Harvest technologies to improve feed quality

and metabolisable proteins

Green fodder

Silage Dehydratation

Metabolisable proteins (t/ha)* 0,93 0,71 1,29

Equivalent soyabean acreage** 1,6 1,2 2,2

Alfalfa: For a biomass production of 13 t DM/ha (= 2,3 t of crude proteins)

* : protein value to feed ruminant

**: after processing of soya grains

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

60 80 100 120 140

gPD

IN/U

FL

gPDIE/UFL

Silage

Green forage

Hay

Dehydrated

Alfalfa Alfalfa

Alfalfa

Alfalfa Red cl.

Red cl. Red cl.

White cl.

Perennial ryegrass

Perennial Perennial

Dehydration appears to be a very good

option, if the energy cost can be

reduced through improved harvesting

technologies

14 .014

Cascading and use of alfalfa protein concentrate

in human nutrition

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Lys

His

Arg

Thr

Val

Met

Ile

LeuPhe

Asp

Ser

Pro

Gly

Ala

Tyr

Milk powder

Wheat flour

Alfalfa protein conc

Soybean cake 50

SS (/ milk proteins)

wheat 75

Soybean cake 60

Chickpea 78

Alfalfa protein conc 52

And also high contents in:

- Omega-3 (4% DM),

- Caroten, vit E, vit K

Very high quality of alfalfa protein

concentrate in human nutrition

15 .015

Sustainable yields: Reducing the environmental

footprint of animal products

Reducing emissions

• Methane emissions: low cell wall content, high rate of rumen transit, high

digestibility

• No N2O emission due to fertilizer use thanks to nitrogen fixation

200 kg N/ha 0 kg N + white clover

Fossil energy (MJ/kg milk) 1,25 0,50

GHG (kg eq CO2/kg milk) 1,15 1,00

An

nu

al

co

st

(€

/sa

ve

d t

CO

2)

Cumulated yearly attenuation (Mt CO2e)

Marginal abatement cost curve

• Alfalfa in mixtures with grasses to maximise N use efficiency

• In rotation, large amounts of N available for the following crops

• New options to be documented: alfalfa as living mulchs for cereals

– Less weeds

– Less N fertilisation

– Improved N balance and high protein content of cereal grains

– Alfalfa biomass production during the autumn growth

16 .016

Recycling: Alfalfa in cropping systems

Yield

Wheat no

cover –

31/10

Direct drill

under alfalfa –

16/10

Opt N fert. (kg

N/ha) 272 213***

Yield opt

(q/ha) 85.3 84.7NS

Conclusion: potential of permanent alfalfa cover for

wheat

• No difference on yield potential in 2013. - 2013 was favourable to a good control of alfalfa growth).

• Saving 60 kgN/ha

• Wheat protein content: + 1.5 points

Protein content

+ 1.5 point

• Alfalfa has a tremendous potential for protein production in a bioeconomy approach – High protein production per unit area

– Cascading possibilities:

• Protein concentrates for human nutrition

• Fibre for animal nutrition

– Positive environmental impacts and ecosystem services

• N balance

• Biodiversity

• Issues for research – Breeding for higher biomass production and ability to be grown in mixtures or

as living mulchs

– Improved agronomic practices for new rotations

– Improved technologies for biomass processing and production of high value proteins

17 .017

Conclusion: some key messages

• Under this rationale

• Project H2020 EU-China under SFS44

– Breeding forage and grain legumes to increase EU and China protein self-sufficiency

– Workshop tonight at 19.30

18

Thank you for your attention

19 .019

Sow alfalfa ! Save the planet !