AbstractWe are planning a short-term experiment with Superdwarf wheat on the U.S. Space Shuttle and a seed-to-seed experiment on the Russian Space Station Mir. The goals of both experiments are to observe effects of microgravity on developmental steps in the life cycle and to measure photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration by monitoring gas exchange. This requires somewhat different hardware development for the two experiments. Ground-based research aims to understand plant responses to the environments in the space growth chambers that we will use (after some modification): the Plant Growth Unit (PGU) on the shuttle and units called Svet, Svetoblock 2, or Oasis on Mir. Low irradiance levels (100 to 250 μmol m−2 s−1 at best) pose a particular problem. Water and nutrient supply are also potentially limiting factors, especially in the long-term experiment. Our ground-based studies emphasize responses to low light levels (50 to 400 μmol m−2 s−1); results show that all developmental steps are delayed by low light compared with plants at 400 μmol m−2 s−1. We are also testing various rooting substrates for the shuttle experiment. A 1:1:1 mixture of peat:perlite:vermiculite appears to be the best choice.


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    Title :

    Preparations for CELSS flight experiments with wheat


    Contributors:
    Salisbury, F. (author) / Gillespie, L. (author) / Bingham, G. (author)

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    1994-01-01


    Size :

    7 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Preparations for CELSS Flight Experiments with Wheat

    Salisbury, F. / Gillespie, L. / Bingham, G. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1994


    Preparations for CELSS Flight Experiments with Wheat

    Salisbury, F. | Online Contents | 1994


    Design of a Plant Growth Unit for CELSS Flight Experiments

    Oleson, M. / Schwartzkopf, S. | SAE Technical Papers | 1987