In our rapid selection experiment we're using hoverflies to pollinate the Brassica rapa flowers. Here's a photo from the first test run 🪰
19.11.2025 12:40
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In our rapid selection experiment we're using hoverflies to pollinate the Brassica rapa flowers. Here's a photo from the first test run 🪰
Very cool looking paper on bacterial AND fungal necromass contributions to SOC
academic-oup-com.uaccess.univie.ac.at/ismecommun/a....
Testing different substrates for growing fast-cycle brassicas in our upcoming selection experiments. Looking to find the best combination to optimise root washing!
🌿 Contractes Juan de la Cierva postdoc | Uneix-te al nostre lab al CREAF, Barcelona!🌿
Recerca: ecologia elemental, cicles biogeoquímics, trets funcionals, briòfits
Doctorat 2024-2025 | Termini: 10 des
Contacta per més info!
www.aei.gob.es/ca/convocato...
#postdoc #ecologia #JuanDeLaCierva
Nice example of a wild lentil plant, fresh from root washing, ready for root exudate measurement. We'll see how the exudates compare to modern lentil and other crops!
Last days to apply for a PhD position with us at IRTA Cabrils (Catalonia, Spain) to work on drought resistance of crops, root exudates, rhizosphere microbes, crop wild relatievs and more! talent.irta.cat/en/jobs/6147...
#PhD position now open to work with us in Catalunya at IRTA (Cabrils) investigating domestication effects on crop roots and drought tolerance. Apply here: talent.irta.cat/en/jobs/6147...
We're looking for a postdoc with experience in microbial data other omics to work on the project (3 year contract) here in Cabrils, Spain. Apply here ➡️ talent.irta.cat/en/jobs/6071...
Last week we had a great kick-off meeting with colleagues and collaborators!
Some of the beautiful flowers in the WILD-ROOTS greenhouse today.
🧪The plants are getting bigger and the exudate measurements are beginning in earnest. Hypothesis is that wild plants exude more C, and more diverse exudates, but previous experiments suggest it's not that simple!
We are digging into how barley domestication shaped root and rhizosphere traits. Just look at those stunning roots! 🌾. I will be displaying some preliminary results at #Rhizosphere6 conf.
@wild-roots.bsky.social @mvanderheijden.bsky.social @ @cathepreece.bsky.social @barleymicrobreed.bsky.social
Modern radish variety growing in plant pot with a visible pink root.
Traditional 'landrace' radish growing in a pot, and looking much weedier.
My first time growing radish in an experiment-excited to include some root crops in the #WILD-ROOTS project. The modern and traditional varieties do look quite different! @wild-roots.bsky.social
Soil VOC emission measurements underway (with SPMEs) thanks to our Masters student Jordi. Will wild relatives have different emissions compared to modern crops?
We are hiring!
Lab and field technician for the BRYOELEM project
creaf.factorialhr.com/job_posting/...
Very happy to see this review on the #root economics space lead by @elsaelsam.bsky.social being published! link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We show support and limitations of the concept, map extensions and discus future research avenues. Amazing team of coauthors!
First measurements of photosynthesis underway. Will there already be differences between crops and wild relatives?
The first plants are growing happily in the greenhouse. So far we have cereals and legumes, but many more to come. First photosynthesis measurements later this week!
Figure 9 in Chang et al. (2025): "A model disentangling the microbial N-cycling functions in the rhizosphere microbiome assembly of wild and domesticated rice accessions. During rice domestication, a higher abundance of nitrogen-fixing genes in the rhizosphere of wild rice, while domesticated rice exhibited an increased number of genes associated with nitrous oxide (N2O) production and reduction in the rhizosphere of domesticated rice. Created in BioRender. Chang, J. (2025) https://BioRender.com/r38f406."
New publication: Domesticated #rice alters the #rhizosphere #microbiome, reducing #nitrogen fixation and increasing nitrous oxide emissions. #agroecology #sustainability #microbialecology
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
If you want to see what we get up to at IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, in Catalunya) & the beautiful locations of the different centres, they've just published a series of short videos about some of the common methods we use...
Looks great! Good luck to you too!
Last few days to apply for this 4-year PhD contract at
@creaf.cat (#Barcelona) about
Spatial and temporal dynamics of biodiversity in Mediterranean spring ecosystems
Apply here:
creaf.factorialhr.com/job_posting/...
Deadline 23rd February 2025.
Please RT!
The first experiment of the WILD-ROOTS project is getting up and running 🥳 We'll be looking at how domestication affects the roots of 20 different crops - exudation, VOCs, rhizosphere and more!
The Flow of Elements and the Functioning of the Biosphere
Come and join our thematic session at SIBECOL 2025 (Pontevedra, Spain)!
sibecol-aeet-meeting2025.org/Index/11/Cal...
Deadline for submissions: 20 December!
The WILD-ROOTS project is based at IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology) in Cabrils (Catalonia, Spain) which was looking lovely in the winter sunshine today.
📢Postdoc position open in WILD-ROOTS. Looking for a plant or soil ecologist with experience in omics analysis. Based at Cabrils, near Barcelona. borsatreball.irta.cat/enlace_ofert...
Contact catherine.preece@irta.cat for more details.
The maize seeds have arrived! 🥳 And here is a quick example of some of the differences and diversity you get from just one population of teosinte, landrace maize and modern maize.
Happy #WorldSoilDay2024 ! Soil is the foundation of our experiments and our food! And here's a video from the @fao.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd9t...
Climate change means that we now need crops that can thrive with fewer inputs under harsher conditions. Could crop wild relatives and traditional varieties help to increase the resilience of agricultural systems? Over the next 5 years that's what we aim to find out! [6/6]
Well, a bit like dogs versus wolves, crops tend to grow in conditions that are very different from their wild relatives. We give them all the water, nutrients and pest control that they could want. So we expect that crop wild relatives may be tougher and more resilient to drought and disease. [5/6]