Bread Wheat in Space Flight: Is There a Difference in Kernel Quality?

Planning long-term space flights necessarily includes issues of providing food for the crew. One of the areas of research is the development of technologies for independent production of food by the crew. Extensive research on lettuce has confirmed that the "space production" of lettuce is not inferior to that on Earth, even in the absence of gravity, but the same deep understanding of the quality of grain crops has not yet been achieved.

Wheat Space Odyssey: "From Seed to Seed". Kernel Morphology.

The long-term autonomous existence of man in extraterrestrial conditions is associated with the need to cultivate plants-the only affordable and effective means for both providing oxygen and CO utilization, and providing one of the most habitual and energetically valuable products: plant food. In this study, we analyzed the results of the space odyssey of wheat and compared the morphological features of parental grains harvested from soil grown wheat plants, the grains obtained from plants grown in a specialized device for plant cultivation-the "Lada" space greenhouses during space flight in the ISS, and the grains obtained from plants in the same device on Earth. The seeds obtained under various conditions were studied using scanning electron microscopy.

Molecular Cytogenetics of L. Grown under Spaceflight-Related Stress.

The ontogenesis and reproduction of plants cultivated aboard a spacecraft occur inside the unique closed ecological system wherein plants are subjected to serious abiotic stresses. For the first time, a comparative molecular cytogenetic analysis of L. () grown on board the RS ISS during the Expedition-14 and Expedition-16 and also plants of their succeeding (F1 and F2) generations cultivated on Earth was performed in order to reveal possible structural chromosome changes in the pea genome.

Gene expression of rice seeds surviving 13- and 20-month exposure to space environment.

Rice seeds were exposed outside of the international space station to assess the risk of space environment exposure on gene expression associated with seed germination. The germination percentages of the space-stored and ground-stored seeds exposed for 13 months were 48 and 96% respectively. Those for 20 months were 7 and 76%, respectively.

EFFECTS OF VERY SMALL DOSES OF IONIZING RADIATION AND HYPOMAGNETIC FIELD CHANGE PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGHER PLANT SEEDS.

Effects of a 40-times weakened geomagnetic field and its combination with low a- and y-radiation doses on the physiological characteristics of higher plant seeds and water redox properties were studied. Germination rate was found decreased and seedlings development retarded equally when exposure to the hepomagnetic field was direct or mediated by water. Besides, water-mediated irradiation by low y-doses moderated and by low a-doses augmented the negative HMF effect on seeds growth.

[Ecopsychological investigations in 520-day isolation].

Assessment of the importance of higher plants for emotions and relations within the group of test-subjects was performed in the long-duration chamber experiment MARS-500 designed as an imitation of an exploration mission. It was shown that the degree of involvement with the plants dictated the magnitude and character of the ecopsychological effect. Subjects with high psychological stability and dominating introversion were more inclined to interact with plants.

[Stress response genes expression analysis of barley Hordeum vulgare under space flight environment].

Transcriptome of barley Hordeum vulgare grown aboard International Space Station (ISS) was analyzed by means of microarray. It was revealed 500 genes with mRNA level, changed more than two folds in space environment. Among them are genes encoding stress response proteins, videlicet Heat Shock Proteins (HSP), Pathogenesis-Related Proteins (PR) and Antioxidant Proteins.

[Effect of thermal shock on seed resistance].

The work was performed in order to evaluate possible negative effect of high temperatures on biological properties of seeds in space experiment BIORISK-MSN-2. Laboratory experiments showed that seeds possess high enough resistance to extended exposure to high temperatures. Results of studying effects of positive temperatures in the region of 40 to 100 degrees C on biological properties of seeds of 19 species and varieties of higher plants belonging to three different families lead to the conclusion that heat stability of seeds depends on temperature value, period of exposure, species, variety and individual peculiarities of plants.

Oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in barley grown under space environment.

The gene expression and enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase in the space-grown barley were not significantly different from those of the ground-grown barley. Cu2+ reducing and radical scavenging activities in an extract of the space-grown barley were lower than those of the ground-grown barley by 0.7 fold, suggesting that the space environment does not induce oxidative stress, and reduces antioxidant capacity in plants.

[Biological systems of life support for space crews: some results and anticipations].

One of the challenges for space biology and medicine is resolution of lots of problems of biomedical support of humans in the extreme environment of space flight. These problems include also designing of robust and efficiently functioning life support systems (LSS). The paper gives an overview of the investigations of ground-based BLSS with human subjects conducted in Russia and other countries.

[Effects of low doses of ionizing radiation on substrate and germination of higher plants seeds].

The investigation had the aim to evaluate the effects of low doses (< 1-10 cGy) of ionizing radiation on the physical-chemical qualities of high-purification water. It had also the goal to study germination rate and energy and sprouting of four species of higher plants exposed directly and indirectly (watering) to alpha- and beta-radiation from radionuclids sources. When compared with intact water, after exposure to beta-particles electrical currents in water-filled containers consistently tended upward and downward after exposure to alpha-particles.

[Gas-exchange profiles of different algae communities as applied to biological system of human life support].

Previous modeling of the human-chlorella-microorganisms system showed that the absolute balance of atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide is unattainable because of inequality of the human respiration factor and chlorella assimilation factor. Analysis of patterns of gas-exchange regulation in a system with open trophic human-algae interrelations revealed that the sine qua non condition for this balance is identity of synthesized algal biomass and digestible part of human ration which is impractical with cultivation of only one algal species. We undertook experimental testing of this supposition with three algae communities: chlorella-chlamydomonas, spirulina-chlamydomonas and spirulina-chlamydomonas-clorella during accumulative cultivation.

[The study of the genetic effects in generation of pea plants cultivated during the whole cycle of ontogenesis on the board of RS ISS].

Results of studies on growth and development of offspring of two genetically marked dwarf pea lines planted during the whole ontogenesis cycle in the Lada space greenhouse on board of Russian Segment of International Space Station (RS ISS) are presented. The offspring of M1 and M2 plants grown from seeds formed during space flight was examined under conditions of Earth-based. Cultivation.

[Parametric control of the yield characteristics and species composition dynamics of algal poly-culture].

There are several experimental models of biological life support systems (BLSS) designed to incorporate a chlorella pool. These BLSS can be optimized if populated by algal associations that could take up more functions within the closed cycling system than a single alga species. Introduction of a Spirulina and Chlamydomonas poly-culture with differing in gas exchange and biochemical composition resulted in a tighter closure of linkages within the system.

[Growth, development and genetic status of pea plants cultivated in space greenhouse "LADA"].

In the period between March 2003 and April 2005 five crops of genetically marked dwarf pea were cultivated in greenhouse LADA on the ISS Russian segment to study morphology and genetics in consecutive generations. Results of the first space experiment were analyzed and characteristics of ground plants grown from space seeds were studied. It was shown that parameters of growth, development and genetic status of pea plants that completed the ontogenetic cycle in LADA did not differ substantially from the laboratory control and that plants cultivated in space flight do not incur losses in the reproductive function and form viable seeds.

[Biological processes of the human environment regeneration within the Martian crew life support systems].

Five ground-based experiments at RF SRC-IBMP had the purpose to make a thorough investigation of a model of the human-unicellular algae-mineralization life support system. The system measured 15 m3 and contained 45 liters of alga suspension; the dry alga density was 10 to 12 g/l and water volume (including the alga suspension) amounted to 59 l. More sophisticated LSS models where algae were substituted by higher plants (crop area in the greenhouse equaled 15 m2) were investigated in three experiments from 1.

The biological component of the life support system for a Martian expedition.

Ground-based experiments at RF SSC-IBMP RAS (State Science Center of Russian Federation--Institute of Biomedical Problems of Russian Academia of Science) were aimed at overall studies of a human-unicellular algae-mineralization LSS (life support system) model. The system was 15 m3 in volume. It contained 45 L of algal suspension with a dry substance density of 10-12 g per liter; water volume, including the algal suspension, was 59 L.

Plant growth during the Greenhouse II experiment on the Mir orbital station.

We carried out three experiments with Super Dwarf wheat in the Bulgarian/Russian growth chamber Svet (0.1 m2 growing area) on the Space Station Mir. This paper mostly describes the first of these NASA-supported trials, began on Aug.

[Comparison of productivity of different vitamin green technologies under the space station conditions].

At present, fresh plant products for nutrition of the International space station (ISS) crews are delivered from Earth in small quantities. Regular supply of additional fresh greens could be positive for improvement as of nutrition, so psychophysical state of ISS crews. Vitamin greens can be produced with the use of various technologies: planting leaf cultures in greenhouses, forcing the greens from onions and root vegetables (onion, garlic, chicory, beet, parsley etc.

Comparative floral development of Mir-grown and ethylene-treated, earth-grown Super Dwarf wheat.

To study plant growth in microgravity, we grew Super Dwarf wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Svet growth chamber onboard the orbiting Russian space station, Mir, and in identical ground control units at the Institute of BioMedical Problems in Moscow, Russia. Seedling emergence was 56% and 73% in the two root-module compartments on Mir and 75% and 90% on earth.

[Effects of elevated atmospheric ethylene on the development of regenerative organs of short-stem wheat cultivars].

Laboratory experiments were performed to study cytoembryologic development of regenerative organs of wheat cult. 20-1-Shortstem and cult. Apogee in atmosphere with elevated concentration of ethylene.