Dear all,

We are currently running an external hydroponics-based phenotyping experiment in phytotron #1.

In case you are interested in hydroponics please feel free to take a look through the window and/or talk to Anneliese.

Protocols are also available at our facility.

Basically, plants are germinating on agar in a sample holder until the roots reach the fluid medium.

Advantages are a highly homogenous and controlled root environment; the possibility of working with different chemicals (fertilizers, hormones, salt, etc.) and the root system is easily accessible for sampling or shovelomics (until a certain developmental stage; then roots get knotted). And: no black flies, so far.

Disadvantages: handling and potential contaminations of the agar in the sample holder.

The system we use is called Araponics:

http://www.araponics.com/

Best, Jakub

Jakub Jez Head, Plant Sciences Facility T +43 1 7962324 7090 M +43 664 8084 77090 jakub.jez@vbcf.ac.at

Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities GmbH Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 1030 Vienna Austria www.vbcf.ac.at

Chair, Austrian Plant Phenotyping Network (APPN) and Support Group Member of ESFRI EMPHASIS project

Twitter: @VBCF_PlantS

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jezjakub

FFG PHENOPlant: Austrias 1^st multi-sensor, high-throughput plant phenotyping infrastructure launching 2021!