Past and upcoming news

In the face of the challenges posed by climate change, the GREENSCALE project, coordinated by Fabien Chardon and Jean Alric, is exploring new strategies to improve crop resilience whilst reducing their dependence on nitrogen fertilisers. Among the avenues being investigated is the development of so-called ‘pale’ barley, characterised by a lower chlorophyll content.

The CANETE project, launched in 2024, began its first soil and forest litter sampling campaigns in the spring of 2025. This work was carried out at the Xylosylve experimental forest site in Pierroton (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), by a team from the FARE laboratory, supported by several colleagues on site.

Save The Date : Conférence internationale FairCarboN 2028 : Carbon Matters! from land to coast

A new FairCarboN Call for International Mobility is open from 1 September to 30 September 2026!

Salt marshes are known for their ability to accumulate organic carbon in their sediments. However, once buried, this organic matter is not necessarily preserved in the long term: it can be gradually broken down by microorganisms. The rate of this breakdown depends in particular on its origin and molecular composition, two parameters that are still difficult to characterise.

Coastal marshes, and salt meadows in particular—which are situated within the tidal range—are particularly valuable coastal ecosystems. They protect the coastline from erosion, are home to remarkable biodiversity and constitute important natural carbon sinks. However, their ability to provide these services depends on their geomorphological evolution: a salt marsh must be able to advance towards the sea when conditions are favourable, but also gradually raise its surface through sediment accumulation in order to keep pace with rising sea levels.

The Conversation highlights the PREFALIM and SLAM-B projects.

Over the past few decades, tillage has come under increasing criticism. In particular, overly intensive tillage could promote mineralisation and thus the release of carbon stored in the organic matter of agricultural soils. But must tillage and climate protection really be seen as mutually exclusive if we are to farm sustainably?

Soils are a major carbon sink and can help to mitigate climate change. However, in the ‘Global South’, there is still a lack of knowledge about how agricultural practices influence carbon storage in soils.

Researchers on the MyDiv project have been investigating how forests function and how dead leaves (litter) fall, are distributed and supply nutrients to the soil. FairCarboN contributed to the nutrient analyses carried out as part of this study.