Capability of plants to adapt themselves to altered gravity environments

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K11914
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 宇宙生命科学
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Karahara Ichirou 富山大学, 大学院理工学研究部(理学), 教授 (60283058)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 蒲池 浩之 富山大学, 大学院理工学研究部(理学), 准教授 (40262498) ; 玉置 大介 富山大学, 大学院理工学研究部(理学), 特命助教 (20793053)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MINEYUKI Yoshinobu 兵庫県立大学, 生命理学研究科, 教授 (30219703) ; YAMAUCHI Daisuke 兵庫県立大学, 生命理学研究科, 教授 (40220222) ; NISHIUCHI Takumi 金沢大学, 学際科学実験センター, 准教授 (20334790)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 微小重力 / 過重力 / 宇宙環境 / 生活環 / 植物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Understanding capability of plants to adapt themselves to altered gravity environments is crucial to secure a stable food supply in a long-term space exploration. It is necessary to clarify effects of altered gravity environment on the life cycle of plants to successfully develop such a cultivation system in space. In this study we continued to improve an apparatus to perform long-term plant cultivation under hypergravity and to optimize other environmental conditions　than gravity, and examined its effects on the life cycle of Arabidopsis and Physcomitrella. And we found that long-term hypergravity increased biomass of Physcomitrella. We also performed anatomical observation regarding effects of long-term microgravity as well as 3 G-hypergravity on the formation of tissues in the peduncle of Arabidopsis and obtained results, though still preliminary, indicating a possibility that gravity suppress formation of pith cavity as well as fibers.

Free Research Field

植物形態学，植物生理学