Exploration of plant growth and development using the European Modular Cultivation System facility on the International Space Station

Plant Biology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. -I. Kittang ◽  
T. -H. Iversen ◽  
K. R. Fossum ◽  
C. Mazars ◽  
E. Carnero-Diaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Cultivation System ◽  
International Space

scholarly journals Plant Pillow Preparation for the Veggie Plant Growth System on the International Space Station

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gioia D. Massa ◽  
Gerard Newsham ◽  
Mary E. Hummerick ◽  
Robert C. Morrow ◽  
Raymond M. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
International Space ◽  
Surface Sterilization ◽  
Growth System ◽  
Validation Tests ◽  
Growth Methods ◽  
Controlled Released

AbstractThe first Veggie plant growth chamber was installed on the International Space Station in 2014. Crop plants can be grown in Veggie using plant pillows, small rooting packets that contain substrate, fertilizer, and germination wicks along with attached seeds. The pillows were designed to interface with the Veggie root mat reservoir watering system to provide a capillary water column to growing plants. In preparation for flight, methods of arcillite substrate washing, autoclaving, and drying were established to reduce dust and to provide a dry sterile substrate. A controlled released fertilizer mixed into arcillite substrate provides nutrition for plant growth. Methods of seed surface sterilization were tested for both germination and microbial contamination, and the optimum methods were determined for candidate flight crops. Plant pillows were prepared for flight by cutting and inserting germination wicks, filling with the substrate/fertilizer mix, and sewing closed. Following pillow filling, seeds were attached to the wicks, and the pillows were packaged for flight. Pillow preparation methods have been successfully tested in the VEG-01 hardware validation tests on the International Space Station with ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce and ‘Profusion’ zinnia, and in the VEG-03 test, using ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce and ‘Tokyo bekana’ Chinese cabbage.

scholarly journals Selecting for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii fitness in a liquid algal growth system compatible with the International Space Station Veggie plant growth chamber

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junya Zhang ◽  
Bárbara S.F. Müller ◽  
Kevin N. Tyre ◽  
Fang Bai ◽  
Ying Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Space Station ◽  
Growth Chamber ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
International Space ◽  
Plant Growth Chamber

AbstractA biological life support system for spaceflight would capture carbon dioxide waste produced by living and working in space to generate useful organic compounds. Photosynthesis is the primary mechanism to fix carbon into organic molecules. Microalgae are highly efficient at converting light, water, and carbon dioxide into biomass, particularly under limiting, artificial light conditions that are a necessity in space photosynthetic production. Although there is great promise in developing algae for chemical or food production in space, most spaceflight algae growth studies have been conducted on solid agar-media to avoid handling liquids in microgravity. Here we report that breathable plastic tissue culture bags can support robust growth of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in the Veggie plant growth chamber, which is used on the International Space Station to grow terrestrial plants. Live cultures can be stored for at least one month in the bags at room temperature. The gene set required for growth in these photobioreactors was tested through a short-wave ultraviolet light (UVC) mutagenesis and selection experiment with wild-type (CC-5082) and cw15 mutant (CC-1883) strains. Genome sequencing identified UVC-induced mutations, which were enriched for transversions and nonsynonymous mutations relative to natural variants among laboratory strains. Genes with mutations indicating positive selection were enriched for information processing genes related to DNA repair, RNA processing, translation, cytoskeletal motors, kinases, and ABC transporters. These data suggest modification of signal transduction and metabolite transport may be needed to improve growth rates in this spaceflight production system.

scholarly journals Genomic Characterization of Potential Plant Growth-Promoting Features of Sphingomonas Strains Isolated from the International Space Station

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Lombardino ◽  
Swati Bijlani ◽  
Nitin K. Singh ◽  
Jason M. Wood ◽  
Richard Barker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
International Space Station ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Space Station ◽  
International Space ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting ◽  
Genomic Characterization ◽  
Growth Promoting

Sphingomonas is ubiquitous in nature, including the anthropogenically contaminated extreme environments. Members of the Sphingomonas genus have been identified as potential candidates for space biomining beyond earth.

Mechanisms of ethylene biosynthesis and response in plants

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽  
Unsaturated Hydrocarbon ◽  
Flower Senescence ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Step Process ◽  
Ethylene Response ◽  
Ethylene Signalling

Ethylene is the simplest unsaturated hydrocarbon, yet it has profound effects on plant growth and development, including many agriculturally important phenomena. Analysis of the mechanisms underlying ethylene biosynthesis and signalling have resulted in the elucidation of multistep mechanisms which at first glance appear simple, but in fact represent several levels of control to tightly regulate the level of production and response. Ethylene biosynthesis represents a two-step process that is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels, thus enabling plants to control the amount of ethylene produced with regard to promotion of responses such as climacteric flower senescence and fruit ripening. Ethylene production subsequently results in activation of the ethylene response, as ethylene accumulation will trigger the ethylene signalling pathway to activate ethylene-dependent transcription for promotion of the response and for resetting the pathway. A more detailed knowledge of the mechanisms underlying biosynthesis and the ethylene response will ultimately enable new approaches to be developed for control of the initiation and progression of ethylene-dependent developmental processes, many of which are of horticultural significance.

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