Plant Geneticist Makes Carrot Earrings

Plant Geneticist Makes Carrot Earrings FARM HOME Novelty Items Compliment Shelby Ellison on her colorful earrings and you may get a free lesson on plant genetics “I’m a big a fan of vegetable jewelry People are normally shocked to find out my earrings are carrots ” laughs the University of Wisconsin-Madison postdoctoral researcher in plant genetics “My research is understanding the genetics behind the pigment in carrots so it’s directly related ” As she sliced colorful carrots from around the world she saw the beauty of the bulls-eye patterns in reds yellows oranges and purples Her original idea was to make cross-sectional slices dry them and make Christmas ornaments “I slice them between 1/8 and 1/4 in thick in diameters from 1/2 to 3 in I like big flashy earrings ” she says “I have an industrial dryer to dry them Then I paint them with an acrylic lacquer to keep the moisture out and help the pigment last longer They are virtually weightless ” “It’s a good way to talk about my research in a more fun environment ” Ellison says “Once we identify the genes controlling important pigments we can make improvements such as increasing the nutritional benefits That’s the goal of the research ” Carrots were previously yellow she notes but then a naturally occurring mutation caused them to accumulate beta-carotene and turn orange which some growers preferred Orange carrots are also nutritionally better as they are high in carotenoids that the body converts into Vitamin A Purple carrots are high in anthocyanins which are a good source of antioxidants Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Shelby Ellison slrepinski@gmail com

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