Question: hi Nikolai i was just wondering whilst you are waiting for the wheat to grow what do you do in your spare time? or are you always keeping a close eye on the wheat? thanks please get back.

Nikolai Adamski answered on 19 Mar 2015:

Ah, good question.
The trick is to have wheat growing all year round in the glasshouse. I sow my experiments at different times, so there is always something to do 🙂
Planning and forward thinking are crucial when working with an organism with a (relatively) long generation time.
For our field experiments that is obviously different, as in this country we can only get one crop in per year.
If I would work in California, I could grow up to three wheat crops in the field in one year (that is spring wheat to be precise).

And yes, whether I grow my plants in the glasshouse or the field (usually both) I always keep an eye on them. If my plants aren’t developing nicely it will affect my experiments and thus my results!

Hope that answers your question.
cheers
nikolai