Pickleweed Project Update: First round of sampling

While summer comes to a close, something else has just gotten started: pickleweed sampling! Over the past two weeks, Germán and their hard-working team of undergraduates (Kathryn, Danae, and Evelyn) have begun the first round of chlorophyll and anthocyanin extraction as well as spectra/absorption measurement.

Remember those little pickleweed plants from back in May? Well, they're not so little anymore! Through precise treatment with water and saline solutions over the last few months, the team produced 180 fully sprouted specimens ready to be processed.

During the first round of sampling, 60 plants will be processed. But before the pickleweed migrates into the lab, they first make a stop outside to be measured with an ASD spectroradiometer. This instrument records the spectral signatures (i.e. reflectance) of each plant sample.

Next, the plants are taken inside to be clipped, weighed, measured for leaf mass per area (LMA), and frozen. In the following days, chlorophyll and anthocyanin are extracted from the individual samples and run through a spectrophotometer to measure for absorbance at certain wavelengths.

And that's the gist of it! The second round of sampling will begin in about a month, so stay tuned for more updates. Congrats to Germán and their team for achieving this exciting milestone!