Hello my name is Somayah Ahmed and for the past month I have been working on the DRY project with Dr Sarah Ayling. I am on a Nuffield Research placement where my aim was to learn key skills and what it is like to carry out an experiment for the purpose of research.
For my investigation we visited the field site on Simms Hill, a short walk from the university campus, where we set out to collect soil samples from both the drought plots and the control plots. Using a random number generator we used coordinates to find where to dig and collected 10cm deep and 4cm diameter samples of soil and roots around plants of the grass, Yorkshire Fog, to bring back to the lab.
After refrigerating overnight we proceeded to clean the roots getting rid of the earth and rubbish attached to it. The roots were left in KOH for 2 days to clear. The roots were then stained using a vinegar/ink solution, boiled and de-stained. The roots were now very clear and cells were visible under the microscope. Using a grid intersect method I observed the roots and noted down the roots and mycorrhizal fungi that were touching the grid lines vertically and horizontally. I continued this with each sample 3 times for accuracy. After 3 weeks I finally had all my data and was able to analyse patterns in my results. I found a trend of more mycorrhizal fungi in the drought plots showing that the fungi helped the plant to survive in the dry conditions allowing it to grow tall and strong. From my investigation I have learnt the importance of mycorrhiza in the survival of plants living in poor conditions and how that affects the rate at which plants and organisms grow.
Many thanks to Dr Sarah Ayling for all your help during my placement. Also to Dr Andy Geary and Dr Shaun Lavis.
By Somayah Ahmed
The Nuffield Foundation (www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nrp) works through regional networks to link talented students with organisations undertaking research. A typical Nuffield student will be a 17-year old from a local school or college who has completed their first year of an ‘A’-level course in science, technology, engineering or maths.