Workshop 1: Leguminous animation

This workshop, created by Sandy Barbot and presented by Virginie Nowak, was structured like an escape game. The aim was to find the lupin seeds through a series of riddles that drew on our knowledge. The context of the puzzle was to find a painting stolen by the famous gentleman burglar: Arsène Lupin. The parallels between the fictional character and the plant were obvious, and the result was perfect!

Workshop 2: Biocontrol workshop: the superpowers of fungi

Mushrooms are more useful than they appear, as Elodie Gautheron and Ana Bendejacq-Seychelles explained. Their workshop focused on testing fungi on a model worm organism, in order to study a species of worm that is harmful to certain crops. Their aim was to find a fungus that could radiate the crop-damaging worm but not disrupt the crop environment. Elodie also allowed us to observe part of her mushroom collection in various Petri dishes.

Workshop 3: Biological interactions, that's sport!

The link may not be obvious to everyone, but agroecology is sport! Dominique Garmyn presented the parallels between agroecology and sport. From the need for fuel to the need to work in a group, via the evolution of methods over time, sport and agroecology are comparable. For example, we can compare the progress made in certain practices by drawing a parallel between refereeing and the organization of crops: before, we used to plant on completely bare land, but since then we've understood that we need to encourage diversified environments that make the land richer. In sport, we now have the possibility of using video assistance to review and better judge disputed actions.

Workshop 4: Pathogenic bacteria workshop

Wastewater treatment is a subject not to be taken lightly, and this was one of the messages to take away from Elodie Barbier and Murielle Rochelet's workshop. Using a beautiful model of a village with its river, wastewater treatment plant, meadow and cows, the risks of poor water treatment were explained. Indeed, even if many impurities are filtered out before the water is redistributed, certain risky substances can persist, such as antibiotics. The major risk of water contamination is the circulation of dangerous bacteria, known as pathogens, between humans, animals and the environment. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in the water used to irrigate vegetable crops contaminates the harvest, and if the anomaly is not detected in time, we ourselves can ingest the bacteria and pass it on to those around us. It may sound scary when you put it like that, but we assure you it was great!

Workshop 5: Discover mycorrhizal symbiosis in virtual reality

An appointment in the heart of the infinitely small in this workshop run by Daniel Wipf. Equipped with our virtual reality headset, we embark on a journey of discovery of soil and mycorrhizae. By the end of the 4-minute video displayed on the headset, we were up to speed on the formation and benefits of mycorrhiza! Mycorrhiza is the result of symbiosis between a fungus and a plant. Symbiosis is a type of relationship between organisms that is "mutually beneficial", meaning that both organisms benefit from the association. On the one hand, the mycorrhizae sends the plant mineral nutrients (mainly phosphorus and nitrogen) and water, while the fungus receives the plant's carbohydrates and vitamins from photosynthesis.

Workshop 6: Cropping systems

Launched in 2012, Rés0Pest is an experimental network of pesticide-free cropping systems for field crops and mixed farming. Vincent Cellier, who is involved in the project, explained how a cropping system is developed. A cropping system is the set of methods used to optimize harvests. Different calendars are then tried out, varying from false seeding to ploughing, in order to define which system is the most suitable. It's also important to understand that a system also depends on geography: a system that works in Bretenière doesn't necessarily work everywhere, as each soil has its own specificities depending on its geographical location.

Workshop 7: Cell membrane puzzle

The workshop on cell membranes, presented by Patricia Gerbeau-Pissot, was a puzzle to be completed with the help of her explanations. Thanks to this workshop, we understood the role of membranes. Membranes serve two main purposes in the life of a cell: to protect itself and to capture nutrients. To protect itself, the membrane contracts and can use lipids such as phospholipids, glycolipids and sterols. Conversely, to capture nutrients - in other words, to feed itself - it relaxes.

Workshop 8: Presentation of the soil fungi atlas

Sébastien Terrat presented the Soil Fungi Atlas, which brings together and explains in the simplest possible way the progress and results of 10 years of research carried out all over France. France is the first country to have carried out this research on the scale of an entire nation. Although it only represents 0.3% of the earth's surface, France is the 3rd country in terms of soil diversity heterogeneity. In France, there are 19 soil types and 8 climates. In particular, the team is studying fungal density, diversity, community structures and interaction networks.