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Cara W

@lettucecara

PhD Researcher: Rapid Rooting in Lettuce

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19.11.2024
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Latest posts by Cara W @lettucecara

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Staying Sane in the Lab: Tips for Mental Health Strategies for Researchers | Plantae This blog post explore realistic strategies for building resilience and protecting your mental health while sustaining your passion for research.

Another amazing collaboration for @plantaeofficial.bsky.social, this time with @n-priyadarshini.bsky.social and @aroessling.bsky.social ๐ŸŒฟ

We wrote about mental health strategies for researchers, a topic close to our hearts. Check out our tips on staying sane in the lab!

plantae.org/lab-tips-for...

09.10.2025 07:53 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

I collect the root tissue into RNAProtect which probably helps wash off some of the soil, and then add in an extra centrifuge before adding the sample to the column.
But it probably is dependent on your soil type, whether this would work for you!

07.08.2025 10:43 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I haven't had to swap to soil specific kits and have been fine using a standard plant RNA extraction kit when extracting RNA from plant roots grown on soil (in a rhizotron).

07.08.2025 10:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked with root growth in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings - Molecular Breeding In-field variation of transplanted lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) due to variable soil and environmental conditions is one of the major restrictions in the optimization of production and yield. Marker-as...

Very engaging presentation by Mohsen Mohammadi at #rhizosphere6 on their work in #root enhancement in wheat - lots of overlaps with work done in my lab before I joined, which used RILs between extreme rooting lettuce varieties to identify QTL regions of interest
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

30.06.2025 13:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A photo of Poonam at the end of the talk with the acknowledgements slide projected behind

A photo of Poonam at the end of the talk with the acknowledgements slide projected behind

Great talk yesterday explaining the mechanisms behind how plant roots respond to air pockets in substrate by Poonam Mehra. I always enjoy hearing about molecular signalling, especially when it is so well presented and explained so clearly! #rhizosphere6

18.06.2025 10:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A picture of Mutez standing in front of his title presentation slide, with the title of his talk 'Going underground: roots and rhizosphere hydraulic processes impacting plant response to drought'

A picture of Mutez standing in front of his title presentation slide, with the title of his talk 'Going underground: roots and rhizosphere hydraulic processes impacting plant response to drought'

Thank you to Mutez Ahmed for a really interesting talk on how below ground traits influence plants response to drought #rhizosphere6

17.06.2025 17:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A view of the presentation screen in front of fancy wall artwork, gold  embellishments and huge organ pipes

A view of the presentation screen in front of fancy wall artwork, gold embellishments and huge organ pipes

A view of the upper galleries of the lecture hall, with lots of fancy archways

A view of the upper galleries of the lecture hall, with lots of fancy archways

A view of the painted ceiling of the lecture hall, painted with female figures each with a different academic subject written below.

A view of the painted ceiling of the lecture hall, painted with female figures each with a different academic subject written below.

Really enjoying the #rhizosphere6 conference which is being held in what is possibly the most beautiful lecture hall ever!

17.06.2025 17:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Ten Female Inventors Who Changed Our Lives - Inventionland The world as we know it was built through a series of inventors and inventions. Here, we highlight female inventors who have made history.

#WomenInStem #WomensHistoryMonth Spotlight

From the life raft, to the DNA Double Helix, women have historically been a part of major discoveries and inventions in STEM. Check out this list of women who made such inventions and let us know if your favorite made the list in the comments below!

09.03.2025 22:12 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Rootrainertrons: a novel root phenotyping method used to identify genotypic variation in lettuce rooting - Plant Methods Background There is much interest in how roots can be manipulated to improve crop performance in a changing climate, yet root research is made difficult by the challenges of visualising the root syste...

Interested in #RootResearch - read our new paper here: plantmethods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
#RootBiology #PlantScience @giffordlab.bsky.social @vegprof.bsky.social

04.03.2025 08:17 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Rootrainertrons: a novel root phenotyping method used to identify genotypic variation in lettuce rooting

Are you hoping to do some plant root research, but haven't got $ for rhizotrons, let alone access to a multi-million pound Plant Phenotyping Centre? Then check out our paper highlighting a new, affordable method for observing and studying roots grown on substrate. rdcu.be/ebWRV

03.03.2025 12:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0