Nature-based perennial grain cropping as a model tosafeguard functional biodiversity towards future-proofagriculture

在气候变化的威胁下，每年密集的作物生产对自然资源的影响已经导致全球范围内环境退化和生物多样性丧失的放大。减轻这种后果的一个概念是发展多年生粮食种植制度。Kernza®是从中间偃麦草中驯化而来的，是最近开发的多年生粮食作物中最先进的例子之一，用于食品或饲料生产，并在欧洲各地建立了试验场。受自然生态系统，特别是草原的影响，这些系统提供了一种极佳的创新设计，以促进基于自然的解决方案(NBS)，以减轻农业危害，并提供生态、社会和经济效益(Biodisa BiodivClim呼吁的主题#3)。多年生粮食作物具有永久的土壤覆盖、较高的总生物量和较深的根系，为减缓和适应气候变化提供了根本优势。多年生粮食作物支持高度结构和复杂的食物网，改善了功能多样性和保存条件。然而，人们对这些系统产生的生物多样性影响、作物表现和生态系统服务的了解有限。NAPERDIV的系统研究方法建立在沿泛欧洲梯度(瑞典、比利时、法国)建立的具有不同农业生态和气候条件的多年生和一年生谷物种植制度的比较分析基础上。通过欧洲研究人员和利益攸关方的跨学科和多部门网络，NAPERDIV将分析(A)Kernza®的农艺表现，以评估和模拟其抵御气候灾害的能力；(B)与作物相关的微生物群及其功能效益(促进生长、抑制疾病)；(C)土壤微生物群在预期气候变化下对干旱的适应能力；(D)土壤动物、其效益以及作物表现、系统多样性和进程的指标值。NAPERDIV成果对环境、政策、社会和经济的多重和跨国影响将支持欧盟加强其作为研究和创新领域世界领导者的作用：(1)NAPERDIV将促进可持续的、以自然为基础的农业，同时限制农用化学品的使用，并有利于生物多样性和气候变化的适应/缓解。(2)NAPERDIV将为欧盟目前和未来的立法框架提供坚实的科学知识基线，以制定针对环境和气候目标的创新和面向未来的农业生产解决方案。(3)NAPERDIV将有助于营养安全，并产生具有投资潜力的新的生物经济机会。(4)NAPERDIV将在泛欧洲范围内建立网络，确保在欧洲内部和整个欧洲长期维持一个合作和多学科的研究平台。

The impact of intense annual crop production on natural resources under the threat of climate change has resulted in a global magnification of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. A concept for mitigating such consequences is the development of perennial grain cropping systems. Kernza®, domesticated from Thinopyrum intermedium, is among the most advanced examples of recently developed perennial grain crops for food or forage production with established experimental sites across Europe. Informed by natural ecosystems, specially grasslands, such systems provide an excellent and innovative design to promote nature-based solutions (NBS) to mitigate agricultural disservices and to provide ecological, social and economic benefits (Theme #3 of the BiodivERsA BiodivClim Call). With a permanent soil cover, high total biomass production and deeper root systems, perennial grain crops provide fundamental advantages for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Perennial grain crops support highly structured and complex food webs, improving the functional diversity and the conditions for its conservation. However, there is only limited understanding of biodiversity effects, crop performance and ecosystem services resulting from these systems. The systemic research approach of NAPERDIV is founded on comparative analyses between established perennial versus annual grain cropping systems along a Pan-European gradient (Sweden, Belgium, France) with different agro-ecological and climatic conditions. With an inter-disciplinary and multi-sectoral network of researchers and stakeholders across Europe, NAPERDIV will analyze (a) the agronomic performance of Kernza® to assess and simulate its resilience against climate hazards, (b) the crop-associated microbiome and its functional benefits (growth promotion, disease suppression), (c) the resilience of the soil microbiome against drought under expected climate variability, and (d) the soil fauna, its benefits and indicator values for crop performance, system diversity and processes. The multiple and transnational impacts of the NAPERDIV outcomes on environment, policy, society and economy will support the EU to strengthen its role as world leader both in research and innovation: (1) NAPERDIV will contribute to a sustainable, nature-based agriculture with limited use of agro-chemicals and benefits for biodiversity and climate change adaptation/mitigation. (2) NAPERDIV will deliver a solid scientific knowledge baseline for on-going and prospective legislative frameworks of the EU for the development of innovative and future-proof solutions of agricultural production addressing environmental and climate objectives. (3) NAPERDIV will contribute to nutrition security and generates novel bio-economic opportunities with investment potentials. (4) NAPERDIV will network at a Pan-European scale securing in the long-run the maintenance of a cooperative and multi-disciplinary research platform within and across Europe.