The OpenSkyLab observatory
The OSL was established in late 2024 in Cessy (France), on a 1.4 hectare plot at CERN. It compares two main drivers of soil formation: substrate formulation and vegetation management.
Experimental Factors
Replicated plots
• Substrate formulation: clay amendments, pelletisation (creating a porous granular structure vs. standard mixing), biological amendments (local soil transplants or “biopile” material from hydrocarbon remediation), and 100% molasse as control.
• Vegetation management: Miscanthus, pasture mixture 1, pasture mixture 2 (previously Kernza®), annual cover crops rotation, and spontaneous vegetation as control.
Demonstration & special features
• Demonstration plots: These showcase practical applications for tree and shrub planting, including urban greening (e.g., Gleditsia, Celtis), and regional and climate-resilient orchards (olive, apple, and vine varieties).
• Elevated hedgerows: To test the integration of trees and shrubs into engineered landscapes, 60 cm high mounds are built.
Plot engineering
Measurements
Environmental and soil conditions are monitored continuously via a network of weather stations and in-situ sensors, recording data on soil moisture, temperature, water potential, and electrical conductivity.
Vegetation development is assessed regularly through drone imaging, complemented by ground-truth biomass sampling and stem diameter measurements.
Periodic sampling campaigns evaluate changes in soil chemical, physical, and biological properties, including infiltration, available nutrients, pH, organic carbon, root development, and soil fauna communities.
OSL also serves as a scientific platform for multiple fundamental and applied research topics, such as soil formation, carbon accumulation, nutrient cycling, and other biological soil processes.
Plant species
Herbaceous species
Pasture mixture 1
- Lolium perenne
- Medicago sativa
- Festuca pratensis
- Festuca arundinacea
- Trifolium pratense
- Alopecurus pratensis
- Trifolium repens
- Lotus corniculatus
- Plantago lanceolata
- Trifolium incarnatum
- Avena strigosa
- Trifolium alexandrinum
- Avena sativa
- Vicia Sativa
- Lens nigricans
Pasture mixture 2
- Lolium perenne
- Medicago sativa
- Festuca pratensis
- Festuca arundinacea
- Trifolium pratense
- Alopecurus pratensis
- Trifolium repens
- Lotus corniculatus
- Plantago lanceolata
- Trifolium incarnatum
- Avena strigosa schreb
- Trifolium alexandrinum
- Avena sativa
- Vicia Sativa
- Festuca arundinacea ‘Barolex‘
- Cichorium intybus var. sativum
- Onobrychis viciifolia
- Sorghum bicolor sudanense
Cover crops
- Phacelia tanacetifolia
- Trigonella foenum-graecum
- Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus
- Guizotia abyssinica
- Trifolium alexandrinum
- Linum usitatissimum
- Fagopyrum esculentum
- Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis
- Helianthus annuus
- Vicia faba var. minor
- Pisum sativum subsp. arvense
- Lathyrus sativus
- Avena sativa
- Vicia sativa
- Avena strigosa
- Sorghum bicolor x sudanense
- Secale cereale
- Brassica rapa ‘Silvestris’
- Trifolium incarnatum
- Vicia villosa
Miscanthus
Miscanthus × giganteus
Woody species
Hedgerow
- Acer campestre
- Amelanchier canadensis
- Berberis vulgaris
- Buxus sempervirens
- Caragana arborescens
- Cercis siliquastrum
- Corylus avellana
- Crataegus monogyna
- Forsythia × intermedia
- Ligustrum vulgare
- Lonicera fragrantissima
- Lonicera caprifolium
- Osmanthus × burkwoodii
- Philadelphus coronarius
- Pinus sylvestris
- Prunus avium
- Prunus mahaleb
- Quercus pubescens
- Rhamnus cathartica
- Rosa spp.
- Ulmus minor
- Viburnum × bodnantense
- Viburnum tinus
- Viburnum opulus
- Viburnum carlesii
- Viburnum lantana
Nursery
- Acer platanoides
- Acer cappadocicum
- Amelanchier canadensis
- Amelanchier ovalis
- Berberis vulgaris
- Buxus sempervirens
- Caragana arborescens
- Celtis australis
- Corylus avellana
- Crataegus monogyna
- Gleditsia triacanthos
- Hippophae rhamnoides
- Larix decidua
- Ligustrum vulgare
- Lonicera caprifolium
- Ostrya carpinifolia
- Pinus sylvestris
- Prunus mahaleb
- Quercus cerris
- Rhamnus cathartica
- Robinia pseudoacacia
- Rosa spp.
- Ulmus minor
- Viburnum lantana
Orchard
- Olea europaea
- Vitis vinifera ‘Chasselas Blanc’
- Vitis vinifera ‘Gamay’
- Vitis vinifera ‘Viognier’
- Malus domestica ‘Red Gravensteiner’
- Malus domestica ‘Honeycrisp’
- Malus domestica ‘Jonathan’