search
menu
  1. Home
  2. For Corporate & Research Institute
  3. Experiment at Kibo
  4. JAXA’s Utilization Themes
  5. Life Cycle of Higher Plants under Microgravity Conditions
2021.02.25
  • completed

[Space Seed]
Life Cycle of Higher Plants under Microgravity Conditions

  • Biology and Biotechnology
Share

ISS Science for Everyone

SCIENCE OBJECTIVES FOR EVERYONE

Life Cycles of Higher Plants Under Microgravity Conditions (SpaceSeed) cultivates Arabidopsis thaliana (a small flowering plant) in microgravity to improve the productivity of crops in space as well as for understanding the role of gravity in regulating the life cycle of higher plants.

SCIENCE RESULTS FOR EVERYONE

Eating and breathing. These are both important in space, and plants can help with both. The Space Seed experiment grows plants in microgravity to find out the role gravity plays in regulating the seed-to-seed life cycle. Results show seeds grow and develope leaves, flowers, and fruit regardless of the amount of gravity. Leaves under microgravity remained dark green longer, though, indicating that microgravity delays leaf aging. One gene involved in supporting flower stalks is suppressed, while four other genes are enhanced. This indicates that microgravity changes the way some genes behave in cell growth in plants.

Experiment Description

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

  • Since gravity strongly influences developmental processes throughout the life cycle of higher plants on Earth, this research is undertaken to cultivate Arabidopsis thaliana on the JEM, whereby the life cycle is relatively short.
  • The controlling mechanism of developmental processes in Arabidopsis has been physiologically and genetically studied with various mutants and transgenic plants on Earth. The experiments with Arabidopsis under the microgravity environment on JEM will provide an abundance of important and useful information necessary for improving the productivity of crops in space, as well as for understanding the role of gravity in regulating the life cycle of higher plants.

Media Gallery

NASA Image: ISS021-E-006267 NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 21 flight engineer, works with the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) SPACE SEED experiment in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.
NASA Image: ISS021-E-006274 A close-up view of the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) SPACE SEED experiment is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member in the Kibo laboratory on the International Space Station.
NASA Image: ISS027E008229 - NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, both Expedition 27 flight engineers, are pictured near a bag of space seeds floating freely in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station.

Publications

For more information

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S)

KAMISAKA Seiichiro [University of Toyama]

JAXA’s Utilization Themes List

Unless specified otherwise, rights to all images belong to ©JAXA