Joanna Carter

Jo is a Scientific Technician within the Analytical Chemistry Facility, a team providing extraction, digestion and analysis for soil and plant materials as a service in support of the research programmes of the institute and external clients. Jo specialises in Total Carbon and Nitrogen analysis of crops and soils using combustion analysers. She also runs the Inorganic Carbon analyser and performs various extractions including Ammonium Oxalate and CoHexammine Cobalt.

Jo joined Rothamsted Research in 2015 and has been involved in a variety of projects. Previous work has been field and lab based on projects researching the effects of adding a range of organic amendments in varying concentrations to plots to establish the optimum levels of nutrients required by different crops for higher yields without compromising on quality. 

Jo was also involved in earthworm research on a local and national scale, carrying out surveys to examine their population statuses in different areas and combinations of soil types. This was to determine the benefits of "nature's own plough" to the soil, which can lead to better crop growth, and what can be done to preserve species. The research involved looking at the physical characteristics of various soil types, analysing the soil samples for aggregate stability and particle size, using state-of-the-art CT scanning equipment, and identifying earthworm species.