Life cycle of higher plants and gravity - Basis for developing a plant factory in space -

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24620003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 宇宙生命学
• 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(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MINEYUKI Yoshinobu 兵庫県立大学, 生命理学研究科, 教授 (30219703) ; NISHIUCHI Takumi 金沢大学, 学際科学実験センター, 准教授 (20334790)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 重力 / シロイヌナズナ / 生活環

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Developing a successive plant-cultivation system in space environment is crucial to secure a stable food supply in a long-term space exploration. It is necessary to clarify effects of altered gravity on the reproductive processes of plants to successfully develop such a cultivation system in space. Effects of gravity, on various processes of life cycle of plants, particularly on the reproductive phase, are still largely unknown. As a first step to clarify which and how physiological process in plant's reproductive phase is affected in space environment, transcriptome analysis of floral buds of hypergravity-treated arabidopsis plants was performed. In addition, experimental conditions for X-ray micro-CT observation of plant samples were optimized in preparation for observing samples obtained by space experiments. Further, an apparatus needed for long-term plant cultivation under hypergravity was developed and experimental conditions for such experiments were optimized.

Free Research Field

植物形態学，植物生理学