About the laboratory

Algeria is the largest country in Africa in terms of surface area (2,381,741 km²), more than four-fifths of which is occupied by arid and semi-arid zones. In these regions, desertification, water shortages and soil salinity (Sebkha and Chotts) pose a problem for crop production. Every year, thousands of hectares are lost to agro-pastoral use. BNF is the main means of increasing agricultural production and improving the fertility of these saline and marginal soils through:

• the exploitation of the diversity of endemic symbiotic associations best adapted to local environmental constraints and their biotechnological use in the production of biofertilisers.
• improving the production of legumes of economic interest and ecosystem management
• production of secondary metabolites in rhizobia and other rhizospheric microorganisms
• genetics and improvement of legumes of agronomic and environmental interest

Since its creation in 2007, the laboratory has specialised in the study of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing relationships and their adaptation to abiotic stress. A research programme focusing on deepening basic knowledge of beneficial microorganism-plant interactions, with the aim of improving plant production and rehabilitating marginal and degraded soils in saline regions in order to ensure food security for citizens, while preserving the balance of ecosystems and sustainable development under the constraints prevailing in the country and in the face of climate change.

Three models of local symbiosis were selected for their fundamental and applied interest. Given the importance of these themes and their various biotechnological applications in the fields of agronomy, food security and the rehabilitation of soil degraded by the combined effects of salinity, drought and climate change, and in order to meet the needs of our socio-economic partners and the creation of start-ups, the laboratory has expanded to other themes that are part of a smart farming approach, namely genetics and plant improvement, biochemistry and microbiology. The laboratory has thus been divided into four teams:

1. Exploitation of the diversity of endemic symbiotic associations best adapted to local environmental constraints and their biotechnological valorisation in the production of biofertilisers
2. Improvement of the production of legumes of economic interest and ecosystem management
3. Production of secondary metabolites in rhizobia and other rhizospheric microorganisms
4. Genetics and improvement of legumes of agronomic and environmental interest

Various doctoral and master's students are involved in these various areas of research, developing several start-ups in the production of microorganism-based biofertilisers, the development of a microbial consortium to activate waste composting, and the production of biofertilisers.

It should also be noted that the results of this applied research have spread to our national and international partners through several agreements and contracts.

In addition to these agreements, the LBRAP laboratory has carried out various national (PNR1 and 2, CNEPRU, PRFU) and international projects (a PRIMAS1 project, a SUSFOOD-ALL-In project (2019-2020), a PRIMA S2-LEGUMED project (2020-2023), an AUF project (Algeria-Senegal-Mali), Young Team Project associated with IRD, Tassili, PHC-Maghreb, Algerian-Tunisian Project.

Two other PRIMA S2 projects (REVAGROFORMED and ASPMED-2025-2028) are underway, and living laboratories (LIVING-LAB) have been created within the exploitations of our socio-economic partners, allowing our students to carry out their applied research within our partners' infrastructures.