Olivia Pointurier
(INRA Dijon)
Branched broomrape, Phelipanche ramosa (L.) Pomel, is a parasitic weed which causes important yield losses in crops, particularly in winter oilseed rape in France. In order to design efficient pest management strategies, we modelled the effects of cropping systems on P. ramosa dynamics in interaction with weeds and crops in a model called PheraSys. PheraSys simulates the complete life-cycle of P. ramosa, from seed dynamics in the soil to seed production after parasite development on the host. Interactions between P. ramosa and crops and weeds were characterized at the species level to be included in the model.