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All the news
Sampling vegetation in Patagonia by team from Argentina’s National Institute of Agricultural Technology, as a part of the BIOCOM project, financed by a starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC) © Juan Gaitán

Press release

31 Jul 2018

Protecting biodiversity to ensure ecosystem stability

For the first time ever on a worldwide scale, an international team of researchers has demonstrated the positive influence of plant biodiversity on ecosystem stability. The team included researchers from INRA and the Chizé Centre for Biological Studies (CNRS, University of La Rochelle) and scientists from Argentina and Spain. Using satellite data and field surveys of 123 dryland sites around the world, researchers were able to show that biodiversity’s role in influencing ecosystems is as important as the role of climate or soil.

A Xysticus sp. spider devouring a caterpillar of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana © Sylvie Richart-Cervera

Press release

18 Jul 2018

Organic farming favours pest regulation

Scientists from INRA, Université de Rennes 1 and their colleagues have demonstrated that organic farming favours the natural regulation and control of pests – pathogens, insects and weeds.

Soil from the long-term observation and experimentation system of permanent grasslands (SOERE Agroecosystems, biogeochemical cycle and biodiversity) © Jerôme Balesdent

Press release

12 Jul 2018

The rate of carbon incorporation into the soils: a matter of depth

The incorporation of organic carbon into soil helps to regulate both the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and the fertility of agroecosystems. Researchers from INRA, CEA, and CNRS are the first to quantify the rate of carbon incorporation into soils according to depth and its anthropic and climatic determinants. The study opens up new perspectives that allow us to better appreciate the evolution of the carbon cycle.

Experimental installation: productive rooftops, the Paris Institute of Technology for Life, Food and Environmental Sciences - AgroParisTech, Paris © Baptiste Grard

Press release

20 Dec 2017

Installing rooftop vegetable gardens for sustainable cities

From producing food to regulating water runoff, urban agriculture has a lot to offer. Scientists from INRA and AgroParisTech have shown that rooftop vegetable gardens are an interesting way to recycle urban waste, produce food, and retain rainwater.

Cover of Agroecological Crop Protection © Quae & Springer

Just published

05 Sep 2017

Agroecological Crop Protection

This book reviews the principles of agroecology and how they can be applied to crop protection. The authors analyse several participative experiments carried out in the context of temperate or tropical agriculture.