GENOSOL platform

GENOSOL plateform is organized around three main structures:

• A Genetic Resources Center (CRG)

The aim of this center is to store and conserve genetic resources (soil and DNA) and make them available to the scientific community. This structure has been awarded the IBISA CRB label and has been integrated into the environmental pillar of the IR Agronomic Resources for Research.

•  Molecular Analysis and Development Laboratory

The aim of this technical platform is to develop a technology watch on methods for extracting nucleic acids from soils and tools for characterizing microbial genetic resources.

Initially, the platform worked on metabarcoding approaches (amplification of marker genes). It is now expanding its range of services to include extractions for metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches.

• An Environmental Information System (SIE)

Centered on the development of the MicroSol-database (http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/20022) which, on the one hand, manages the conservatory, the metadata associated with the soils and the traceability of its samples (storage location, monitoring of soil operations) and, on the other, stores data from LADM analyses. The GenoSol platform, for its conservatory and EIS activities, is linked to INRAE Orléans' CEES which, via the Donesol database, stores the results of physicochemical soil analyses (carbon, nitrogen, pH, pollutants, etc.). Of the 21,000 soils stored in the GenoSol platform's CRG, the 4,000 soils from RMQS campaigns 1 and 2 are shared with those from the European Soil Samples Conservatory (InfoSol, Orléans). These two conservatories are intended for different scientific and professional communities (soil science, for InfoSol, and biology/ecology for GenoSol). The platform received ISO9001 certification in 2015, for the CRG, and then for the entire perimeter of the platform in 2018.