Plant Cultivation in Space: next steps towards the svet-3 space greenhouse project and current advances

Paper number

IAC-06-A1.5.09

Author

Dr. Tania Ivanova, Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Coauthor

Mr. Plamen Kostov, Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Coauthor

Mrs. Svetlana Sapunova, Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Coauthor

Ms. Iliana Ilieva, Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Coauthor

Mr. Slaveyko Neychev, Space Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Year

2006

Abstract

Plant cultivation and reproduction under microgravity is an important area of research because of the key role plants play as a link of the Bioregenerative Life Support Systems for future long duration human spaceflight. The most plant growth facilities developed to accommodate space experiments have been built on the principle of maintaining constant plant environment with parameters controlled within defined limits suitable for normal plant development. Such a principle of control was motivated by the need to differentiate the influence of microgravity on the plant growth parameters by taking samples for analysis at different stages of plant development. In our recent research we have launched the idea for an advanced SVET-3 Space Greenhouse (SG) with adaptive environmental control. Currently evaluating plant status it maintains adequately the leaf and root environment so as to provide most favorable conditions for plant growth at every stage of plant development. The successful measurements of plant growth environment during the SVET-2+GEMS Russian-American-Bulgarian experiments onboard the MIR OS proved the feasibility of this idea. They suggested that it could be possible to monitor plant development in real time by measuring the gas-exchange rates and without current sampling. Achieving full automation of the process of environmental control requires a wide monitoring of the leaf and root environment. The object of this paper is to report the next steps and advances in the process of SVET-3 SG development.
A laboratory system for precise plant shoot environment monitoring was set up using the expandable Meilhaus Electronic data acquisition system ME-4610 to collect sensor data and to control the actuating mechanisms. The main sensor sub-systems were developed and the results obtained from first tests of these systems in a laboratory experiment are presented.
A wide program of ground based research was performed to study the processes going in different artificial root-zone media for plant growing in earth and model microgravity conditions and on this basis to make some optimizations of the methods, materials and technical means necessary to provide adequate root environment in space. Some biotechnical experiments were carried out to investigate the plant response to artificial hypo-oxygen and waterlogging “stresses” in substrate Balkanine. Their influences are analyzed and the first results are discussed.

Abstract document

IAC-06-A1.5.09.pdf

Manuscript document

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