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The fungal kingdom has been diversifying for more than 800 million years by colonizing a large number of habitats on Earth. Based on a unique dataset (18S rDNA meta-barcoding), we described the spatial distribution of fungal diversity at the scale of France and the environmental drivers by tackling biogeographical patterns. We also explored the fungal network interactions across land uses and climate types.

This paper presents a first comprehensive thesaurus for management practices driving soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. So far, a comprehensive thesaurus of management practices in agriculture and forestry has been lacking. It will help to merge datasets, a promising way to evaluate the impacts of management practices in agriculture and forestry on SOC. Identifying the drivers of SOC stock changes is of utmost importance to contribute to global challenges (climate change, food security).

European agriculture is vulnerable to weather extremes. Nevertheless, by choosing well how to manage their land, farmers can protect themselves against drought and peak rains. More than a thousand observations across Europe show that it is important to keep the soil covered with living plants, even in winter. A focus on a general reduction of traffic on agricultural land is more important than reducing tillage. Organic material needs to remain or be added on the field as much as possible.

Unravelling relationships between plant rhizosheath, root exudation and soil C dynamic may bring interesting perspectives in breeding for sustainable agriculture. Using four pearl millet lines with contrasting rhizosheaths, we found that δ¹³C and F¹⁴C of root-adhering soil differed from those of bulk and control soil, indicating C exudation in the rhizosphere. This C exudation varied according to the genotype, and conceptual modelling performed with data showed a genotypic effect on the RPE.