Spatiotemporal Sampling of Winogradsky Columns using Polymeric Foam

The study uses a polymeric foam for non-destructive spatiotemporal sampling of Winogradsky columns. We investigate the influence of Glyphosate on the columns' soil microbiome. Columns with and without glyphosate are prepared, along with replicates exposed to and shielded from light. Each foam-piece is 10 x 10 x 3 mm in size, and is suspended at fixed heights in the column using metallic frames, where microorganisms colonize the foams. These foam-loaded frames are then extracted at specific time-points, and genomic DNA is extracted from the corresponding foam-pieces. The microorganisms colonizing the foams are then characterized to study the dynamics of the columns' soil microbiome in response to the herbicide glyphosate, which is of growing research interest in light of its widespread use.