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The Quasaprove network is an observatory of diffuse contamination of crop fields by mycotoxins, trace elements and pesticide residues. Agronomic tool created in the frame of the Combined Technology Network (CNT) Quasaprove, it is a network of plots whose pedo-geochemical conditions are well known. It enable to perform full scale-tests on hypotheses and models about the sanitary quality of crops in pre and post harvest (cereals and oilseeds).

For further information, go to the Quasaprove website at the bottom of this page.

Profile :

The Quasaprove network (sanitary quality of crops) is spread on the whole French territory. It is located in 8 INRA sites, 2 Terres Inovia stations, 4 ITAB stations, 11 agricultural secondary schools and one Arvalis site in Boigneville. 7 INRA sites out of 8 are part of the Quasaprove network : UE Domaine expérimental de la Motte au Vicomte de Rennes, UE 0802 d'Agronomie de Toulouse, UE 1246 Grandes Cultures Versailles-Grignon, UE 1373 Fourrages Environnement Ruminants de Lusignan, UMR EMMAH Domaine St Paul Avignon, UE d'Epoisses, UE Grandes Cultures Innovation Environnement – Picardie.  The CNT Quasaprove, which led to the creation of the plot network, was created in 2010 in order to focus on the thematic field of sanitary quality of major agricultural products. Quasaprove is led by ACTA and INRA.

RECOTOX sites characteristics :

In the Quasaprove network, 7 sites belong to the RECOTOX network. Localised in Auzeville in Haute-Garonne, Lusignan in the Vienne, Epoisses in Côte-d’Or, Le Rheu in Ile et Vilaine, Versailles in the Yvelines, Estrées-Mons in the Somme and Avignon in the Vaucluse ; those sites have a wide soil type diversity (calcosols, calcisols, rendzina, luvisols…) and climate diversity. Conventional and organic croplands (common wheat, durum wheat and sunflower) are prevailing in the studied sites. These focus on diffuse agricultural contamination in the different compartments and try to understand the sources and accumulation pathway of pollutants.

Contribution to RECOTOX dynamics :

The CNT Quasaprove activities deal with scientific and technical questions in relation with the source, fate and management of contaminants (mycotoxins, trace elements, organic or inorganic emerging contaminants, pesticides residues…) and non desirable organisms which jeopardize the sanitary quality at every stage of the food chain. The objectives of the CNT Quasaprove are to :

• Assess the contamination levels of crops and agricultural soils,
• Quantify the plot trace elements flow and assess the impact of practices on soil contamination,
• Test characterization tools of the trace elements availability,
• Test at a field scale the hypotheses and predictive models of the crop contamination risk,
• Keep a sample bank for further analysis on contaminants not yet stuydied.

The Quasaprove network covers a wide range of soils, climatic conditions and agricultural practices thanks to the sites located all over the french territory. It also benefits from a chronicle of the exogenous intakes (fertilizers and pesticides). The multi contamination approache is studied in priority. One of its originality is also to take simultaneously the soil and plant compartments which makes it possible to analyse and model transferts.

Contact : Laurence DENAIX, laurence.denaix@bordeaux.inra.fr

Website : http://www.quasaprove.org/moodle/

Hosting organization : INRA / ACTA – UMR ISPA