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Within WP3, two workshops for designing blend ideotypes have been organized, respectively with researchers (agronomists, phyto-pathologists, eco-physiologists) and agricultural advisors from “Chambres d’Agriculture” and FDGEDA. Agronomic specifications for each department have revealed 3 major stresses: foliar diseases (especially leaf rusts and septoria), hydric stress and nitrogen deficiencies.

During the first workshop, researchers have proposed different strategies for varietal mixture design, in order to face these major stresses. Technical and agronomic limits associated to these varietal criteria have been also highlighted.

In the second workshop, agricultural advisors have validated and completed these propositions of strategies and refined the varietal criteria they rely on. It has permitted to define a hierarchy of varietal criteria for each department, which will help to choose varieties for blend designing.

The next step will consist in pre-selecting varieties for blends, on the basis of varietal criteria recommended for each department. Farmers who will participate to field trials will validate or improve these propositions before setting up blends in their fields, as soon as autumn 2014.