[Choice of plant light status for space greenhouse: results of ground-based experience].

To decide on the light status of plants in space greenhouse, a theoretical study was undertaken to correlate specific productivity of space greenhouse with illumination characteristics including vertical PAR flux density (I), photoperiod (tau), and crop leaf index (L). It was demonstrated that in pace with I the daily productivity per a volume unit tended to monotonously approach maximum at I = Ip, whereas the greenhouse energy efficiency ME peaked at I = IE, IK < IE < IP, where IK is a compensation point of the light curve of crop photosynthesis. Proposed are compromise criteria to optimize illumination as a maximum of linear combination of MV and ME and coefficients which account for the cost of a space station volume unit and a unit of board power supply, and as maximum of product Q = MV.ME. Experimental results serve as the basis for a technique for determination of the best, by the Q criterion, light status parameters for three types of space greenhouses: research growth chamber for synchronous cultivation of leaf mustard, wheat growth chamber with fixed crop density, and green conveyer for cultivation of Brassica pekinensis (Lour Rupor). For the last mentioned Q effective I and tau values differed with the conveyer step. The technique allows design of ground-based experiments aimed at determination of the most effective light status of space-grown crops.