Understanding microbial dispersal is critical to understand the dynamics and evolution of microbial communities. However, microbial dispersal is difficult to study because of uncertainty about their ...vectors of migration. This applies to both microbial communities in natural and human‐associated environments. Here, we studied microbial dispersal along the sourdoughs bread‐making chain using a participatory research approach. Sourdough is a naturally fermented mixture of flour and water. It hosts a community of bacteria and yeasts whose origins are only partially known. We analysed the potential of wheat grains and flour to serve as an inoculum for sourdough microbial communities using 16S rDNA and ITS1 metabarcoding. First, in an experiment involving farmers, a miller and bakers, we followed the microbiota from grains to newly initiated and propagated sourdoughs. Second, we compared the microbiota of 46 sourdough samples collected everywhere in France, and of the flour used for their back‐slopping. The core microbiota detected on the seeds, in the flour and in the sourdough was composed mainly of microbes known to be associated with plants and not living in sourdoughs. No sourdough yeast species were detected on grains and flours. Sourdough lactic acid bacteria were rarely found in flour. When they were, they did not have the same amplicon sequence variant (ASV) as found in the corresponding sourdough. However, the low sequencing depth for bacteria in flour did not allow us to draw definitive conclusion. Thus, our results showed that sourdough yeasts did not come from flour, and suggest that neither do sourdough LAB.
Wheat is a staple food in many diets and is currently cultivated worldwide. It provides a large proportion of the daily energy intake and contributes to food balance. Changes in agro-industrial ...practices in the bread sector, from the field to bread-making, have led to an increase in chronic diseases and nutritional deficits, emphasizing the link between food and health. Several levers could be used to improve the nutritional quality of bread wheat. Organic farming, by avoiding the use of pesticides, might allow for greater consumption of wholegrain products. Breeding wheat cultivars with an enhanced mineral content may serve as another lever. In this context, the on-farm participatory plant-breeding of highly diversified varieties could provide promising resources. This study investigated the sensory and nutritional quality of nine population varieties resulting from a ten-year participatory plant-breeding process compared to two commercial pure-line varieties. Analysis of variance showed genotype effects for Mg and Zn concentration, so breeding for a high Mg and Zn concentration can reasonably be envisaged. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between plant height, peduncle height (distance between the Last Leaf and Spike (LLSD)) and nutrient content. Finally, as population varieties express more differences in their profile when grown in less fertile soils, these results emphasize the benefits of genetic diversity for diverse nutritional intake and sensory properties.
Dans les années 2000, des agriculteurs désireux de cultiver des blés correspondant à leurs besoins et soucieux d’affirmer leur autonomie vis-à-vis de l’industrie semencière, ont entrepris de relancer ...la sélection paysanne à la ferme. Des collaborations ont été tissées avec des généticiens de l’Inra, et se sont progressivement développées dans le cadre de projets financés. Or les financements de recherche impliquent une formalisation des partenariats, des engagements en termes de résultats académiques et une augmentation significative de la taille des projets. Dans ce nouveau contexte, comment préserver les valeurs d’émancipation paysanne et de justice cognitive sur lesquelles la collaboration paysans-chercheurs s’est originellement construite ? Cet article aborde la façon dont ce défi se pose concrètement aux acteurs de ces projets, et les précautions qu’ils mettent en œuvre pour y faire face.
In the 2000s, a handful of farmers in France undertook to revive a practice fallen into disuse during agricultural modernization, i.e. on-farm plant breeding. Their motives were both to grow wheat varieties meeting their needs and to assert their independence towards the seed industry. Informal collaborations were woven with geneticists from the French institute for agronomic research (INRA), and developed further within the framework of funded projects. The foundations of a “decentralized participatory plant breeding” were then laid, both on a genetic rationale (breeding directly in the environments where the plants are to be grown) and on strong ethical principles (organizing non-hierarchical relations to let farmers question researchers’ assumptions). However, research funding involves a formalization of partnerships, commitments in terms of academic deliverables, and a significant increase in the size of projects. In this new context, how are the objectives of farmers’ empowerment and the values of cognitive justice on which the collaboration between farmers and researchers was originally built to be preserved? This article describes how this issue is actually tackled by the participants in these projects. We focus in particular on the debates raised by the creation of a database, and on the tensions it generates between centralization and decentralization. We also present the challenges raised by the dramatic increase in the number of participants, which risks to reproduce a division of tasks between researchers, farmers, and the people coordinating at a local level.
Dans les années 2000, des agriculteurs désireux de cultiver des blés correspondant à leurs besoins et soucieux d’affirmer leur autonomie vis-à-vis de l’industrie semencière, ont entrepris de relancer ...la sélection paysanne à la ferme. Des collaborations ont été tissées avec des généticiens de l’Inra, et se sont progressivement développées dans le cadre de projets financés. Or les financements de recherche impliquent une formalisation des partenariats, des engagements en termes de résultats académiques et une augmentation significative de la taille des projets. Dans ce nouveau contexte, comment préserver les valeurs d’émancipation paysanne et de justice cognitive sur lesquelles la collaboration paysans-chercheurs s’est originellement construite ? Cet article aborde la façon dont ce défi se pose concrètement aux acteurs de ces projets, et les précautions qu’ils mettent en œuvre pour y faire face.
Population varieties can meet the needs of organic farming as they are composed of diverse genotypes and have nutritional and sensory characteristics of interest. Their intra-specific genetic ...variability helps to adapt to the diversity of soil and climate conditions, management practices and needs. Moreover, an integrated organic bread sector has emerged willing to use more wheat populations. To explore sensory and nutritional potential of bread wheat populations, hedonic tests, sensory profile and nutritional analyses were implemented on eight wheat population varieties and one modern variety. Hedonic tests revealed consensus among consumer when rankingaccording to specific sensory characteristics and showed preferences for red wheat breads. Descriptive sensory test showed significant differences between genotypes on 6 out of 11 descriptors and confirmed the sensory specificity of red wheat accessions. Nutritional analyses showed differences especially on minerals content. Sensory differences between breads from different genotypes can be perceived both by trained and untrained panels as suggested by results. Moreover, red accessions showed specific sensory characteristics which are well-perceived by the two panels. Breeding effort should be maintained for high diverse genotypes with improved sensory and nutritional qualities adapted to organic farming conditions. Indicators like kernel colour should besought to help integrate such criteria.
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