The PERPHECLIM ACCAF Project – perennial fruit crops and forest phenology evolution facing climatic changes

Abstract

Phenology is a bio-indicator of climate evolution. Measurements of phenological stages on perennial species provide actually significant illustrations and assessments of the impact of climate change. Phenology is also one of the main key characteristics of the capacity of adaptation of perennial species, generating questions about its consequences on plant growth and development or on fruit quality. Predicting phenology evolution and adaptive capacities of perennial species needs to override three main methodological limitations: 1) existing observations and associated databases are scattered and sometimes incomplete, rendering difficult implementation of multi-site study of genotype-environment interaction analyses 2) there are not common protocols to observe phenological stages 3) access to generic phenological models platforms is still very limited. In this context, the PERPHECLIM project, which is funded by the Adapting Agriculture and Forestry to Climate Change Meta-Program ( ACCAF) from INRA ( French National Institute of Agronomic Research), aims to develop the necessary infrastructure at INRA level ( observatories, information system, modeling tools) to enable partners to study the phenology of various perennial species ( grapevine, fruit trees and forest trees). Currently, the PERPHECLIM project involves 28 research units in France, mainly from INRA institutes. Five activities have been developed: define protocols and observation forms to observe phenology for various species of interest for the project : organize observation training, develop generic modeling solutions to simulate phenology ( Phenological Modelling Platform software and modelling platform solutions), support the building of research projects at national and international levels, develop environment/genotype observation networks for fruit-tree species, and develop an information system to manage data and documentation concerning phenology. Finally, the PERPHECLIM project aims to build strong collaborations with public ( Observatoire des Saisons) and private ( technical institutes) sector partners in order to allow a more direct transfer of knowledge.