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International audience; Introduction Rhizodeposition, i.e. the release of organic materials by roots, represents a significant portion of plant’s carbon (C) budget, ranging from 5% to 15% of net photosynthesized C (Pausch and Kuzyakov, 2018). Various rhizodeposits can be released by roots, e.g. soluble exudates, secreted mucilage, sloughed cells, or volatile organic compounds. Despite their short lifetime, some of these products have been shown to favor plant growth, e.g. by increasing water and nutrient uptake. Among rhizodeposition processes, exudation has been suggested to depend on the concentration of carbohydrates inside the roots (Personeni et al., 2007). However, rhizodeposition not only depends on the availability of C in the roots, but also on the architecture of the root system, and many have shown that rhizodeposits are more concentrated in specific areas, such as root tips. Consequently, a Functional-Structural Plant Model (FSPM) would theoretically represent the best framework for simulating the spatial and temporal dynamics of rhizodeposition, as it can describe the evolution of both the metabolism and the architecture of the plant. The objective of this work is to create such a framework by coupling a whole-plant FSPM, a 3D root architectural model, and a new model simulating rhizodeposition.Modelling approachOur strategy has been to combine the FSPM CN-Wheat (Barillot et al., 2016), which describes the main processes of C and nitrogen (N) acquisition and transformation by an individual wheat plant and the 3D growth and development of its aerial organs, with the model ArchiSimple (Pagès et al., 2014) that simulates the development of the 3D root architecture for a range of plant species, and the new model RhizoDep, which calculates a full C balance in each part of a root system in order to simulate local rhizodeposition fluxes. The complementarity of the three models is illustrated in Figure 1: i) CN-Wheat is used to calculate the amount of C allocated from the shoots to the roots, ii) ArchiSimple provides the 3D structure of the root system, and iii) RhizoDep distributes the C provided by the shoots within the 3D root system and simulates the actual growth, respiration and rhizodeposition of each root element based on C availability. The major link between the three models lies in the exchange of C between aboveground and belowground tissues, which is driven by gradients of sucrose concentration in the different compartments of the plant.Preliminary results & short-term perspectivesThe coupling of the three models has been started using the OpenAlea platform and its Multiscale Tree Graph formalism (Pradal et al., 2008). First simulations were done using the allocation of C to the roots simulated by CN-Wheat as an input to the root model based on the effective coupling of ArchiSimple and RhizoDep. These simulations show how rhizodeposition is intrinsically dependent on the architecture of the root system and on the total amount of available C. For completing the coupling, several issues still need to be tackled, e.g. how N uptake and metabolism should be spatialized in a 3D root system, how it may be regulated by local C and N availability, and how rhizodeposition can modify soil N availability. However, this modelling approach has already led to a first prototype able to simulate rhizodeposition processes on a dynamic, 3D root system that is fully integrated within the functioning of the whole plant. Its refinement will offer unique opportunities to study the possible link between rhizodeposition and the environmental factors affecting plant growth, e.g. atmospheric CO2 concentration or soil N availability.

International audience

International audience

International audience

International audience

International audience

International audience

Accès restreint aux membres de l'Université de Lorraine jusqu'au 2015-12-10; Biochars play a central part in the mitigation of global changes. They also represent a challenge for the sustainable management of contaminated soils. This work was conducted in order to better understand the effects of biochar on the mobility of metals in soils and their uptake by plants. A range of experiments was set up following a gradual increase of complexity, with a wood-derived biochar obtained by pyrolysis at 450 °C and two soils, acidic or alkaline, contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn from smelter activity. Various plant species with contrasting response to metals were tested. Batch sorption and column leaching experiments coupled to microscopic and spectroscopic characterization of biochars were conducted, together with plant growth experiment in pots, rhizoboxes and lysimeters. Results demonstrate that biochar's carbonated mineral phases play a dominant role in the immobilization of metals. They lead to metals direct sorption on the surface of biochar by co-precipitation. Their dissolution also contributes to the increase of soil pH, leading to an increased retention of metals on soil particles. Biochar alters the transfer of metals to the plants by decreasing the availability of metals, but also by decreasing the mobility of major cations and by modifying root surface. A decrease of metal transfer to the shoots was generally observed with Lolium perenne or Zea mays, while an increase of the uptake of Cd and Zn by the hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens was evidenced. In conclusion, biochar controls the mobility of metals in soil-plant systems through a range of different mechanisms. From a practical point of view, biochar promotes both strategies of phytostabilization and phytoextraction of metals in contaminated soils; Les biochars sont au cœur de la lutte contre les changements globaux. Ils constituent aussi un enjeu pour la gestion durable des sols contaminés. Ces travaux ont été conduits afin de mieux comprendre les effets du biochar sur la mobilité des métaux dans les sols et leur transfert vers les plantes. Une série d’expériences de complexité croissante ont été conduites, impliquant un biochar obtenu par pyrolyse de bois à 450 °C, et deux sols, l’un acide et l’autre alcalin, contaminés par Cd, Pb et Zn suite à l'activité d'une fonderie. Une gamme d’espèces végétales aux réponses contrastées vis-à-vis des métaux a été testée. Des essais de sorption en batch et de lixiviation en colonnes couplés à une caractérisation microscopique et spectroscopique du biochar ont été réalisés, ainsi que des expériences de croissance végétale en vases de végétation, en rhizotrons et en lysimètres. Les résultats démontrent que les phases minérales carbonatées du biochar jouent un rôle prépondérant dans l'immobilisation des métaux. Elles interviennent dans la sorption directe des métaux à la surface du biochar par co-précipitation. Leur dissolution contribue également à l'augmentation du pH du sol, conduisant à une rétention accrue des métaux à la surface des particules du sol. Le biochar modifie le transfert des métaux vers la plante en diminuant la disponibilité des métaux, mais également en diminuant la mobilité de cations majeurs et en modifiant la surface racinaire développée par la plante. Une diminution du transfert du métal vers les parties aériennes de la plante a généralement été observée avec Lolium perenne ou Zea mays, alors qu'une augmentation du prélèvement de Cd et Zn par l'hyperaccumulateur Noccaea caerulescens a été mise en évidence. En conclusion, le biochar contrôle la mobilité des métaux dans les systèmes sol-plante grâce à une série de mécanismes différents. Au plan pratique, le biochar favorise les stratégies de phytostabilisation et de phytoextraction des métaux dans les sols contaminés