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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Intensity of hydrostimulation for the induction of root hydrotropism and its sensing by the root cap

Roots of Pisum sativum L. and Zea mays L. were exposed to different moisture gradients established by placing both wet cheesecloth (hydrostimulant) and saturated aqueous solutions of various salts in a closed chamber. Atmospheric conditions with different relative humidity (RH) in a range between 98 and 86% RH were obtained at root level, 2 to 3mm from the water-saturated hydrostimulant. Roots of Silver Queen corn placed vertically with the tips down curved sideways toward the hydrostimulant in response to approximately 94% RH but did not respond positively to RH higher than approximately 95%. The positive hydrotropic response increased linearly as RH was lowered from 95 to 90%. A maximum response was observed at RH between 90 and 86%. However, RH required for the induction of hydrotropism as well as the responsiveness differed among plant species used; gravitropically sensitive roots appeared to require a somewhat greater moisture gradient for the induction of hydrotropism. Decapped roots of corn failed to curve hydrotropically, suggesting the root cap as a major site of hydrosensing.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
NASA NTRS2019

Plant Microbiomes May Provide Vital Information to Plant Success

Plant associated microbiomes, the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, are composed of communities of bacteria and fungi that may be mutualistic or pathogenic. These communities have the potential to influence plant health and development and can affect plant growth. Crop plants are being investigated as a fresh and safe supplement to astronauts’ diet and it is critical to understand and characterize these microbial communities. Multi-species crops, Mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var japonica), ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and Waldman’s Green lettuce (Lactuca sativa) were grown in two Veggie units on the International Space Station (ISS) for three grow outs in various combinations of plant types. Upon harvest, plant and pillow samples were frozen and returned to Earth for analysis. Bacterial and fungal community analyses for plant leaf and root, as well as pillow components, wick and media, were completed using next generation sequencing with the goal of surveying the composition of the entire community and identifying any potential pathogens. Bacteria were identified using the 16S rRNA gene whereas, fungi were identified with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The community composition for these three crops was compared between crop types and between plant tissue types. It is vital to mission success for the short term and long term to add nutritious, safe to eat vegetables providing a supplement to the crew members’ dietary requirements as well as to develop planning for deep space missions as we reach for the moon and on to Mars. Veggie technology validation tests were supported by NASA’s Space Biology Program.

Khodadad, Christina L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

On the use of antibiotics to reduce rhizoplane microbial populations in root physiology and ecology investigations

No straightforward method exists for separating the proportion of ion exchange and respiration due to rhizoplane microbial organisms from that of root ion exchange and respiration. We examined several antibiotics that might be used for the temporary elimination of rhizoplane bacteria from hydroponically grown wheat roots (Triticum aestivum cv. Veery 10). Each antibiotic was tested for herbicidal activity and plate counts were used to enumerate bacteria and evaluate antibiotic kinetics. Only lactam antibiotics (penicillins and cephalosporins) did not reduce wheat growth rates. Aminoglycosides, the pyrimidine trimethoprim, colistin and rifampicin reduced growth rates substantially. Antibiotics acted slowly, with maximum reductions in rhizoplane bacteria occurring after more than 48 h of exposure. Combinations of nonphytotoxic antibiotics reduced platable rhizoplane bacteria by as much as 98%; however, this was generally a reduction from about 10(9) to 10(6) colony forming units per gram of dry root mass, so that many viable bacteria remained on root surfaces. We present evidence which suggests that insufficient bacterial biomass exists on root surfaces of nonstressed plants grown under well-aerated conditions to quantitatively interfere with root nitrogen absorption measurements.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS2002

Root gravitropism: an experimental tool to investigate basic cellular and molecular processes underlying mechanosensing and signal transmission in plants

The ability of plant organs to use gravity as a guide for growth, named gravitropism, has been recognized for over two centuries. This growth response to the environment contributes significantly to the upward growth of shoots and the downward growth of roots commonly observed throughout the plant kingdom. Root gravitropism has received a great deal of attention because there is a physical separation between the primary site for gravity sensing, located in the root cap, and the site of differential growth response, located in the elongation zones (EZs). Hence, this system allows identification and characterization of different phases of gravitropism, including gravity perception, signal transduction, signal transmission, and curvature response. Recent studies support some aspects of an old model for gravity sensing, which postulates that root-cap columellar amyloplasts constitute the susceptors for gravity perception. Such studies have also allowed the identification of several molecules that appear to function as second messengers in gravity signal transduction and of potential signal transducers. Auxin has been implicated as a probable component of the signal that carries the gravitropic information between the gravity-sensing cap and the gravity-responding EZs. This has allowed the identification and characterization of important molecular processes underlying auxin transport and response in plants. New molecular models can be elaborated to explain how the gravity signal transduction pathway might regulate the polarity of auxin transport in roots. Further studies are required to test these models, as well as to study the molecular mechanisms underlying a poorly characterized phase of gravitropism that is independent of an auxin gradient.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1999

Process for producing vegetative and tuber growth regulator

A process of making a vegetative and tuber growth regulator. The vegetative and tuber growth regulator is made by growing potato plants in a recirculating hydroponic system for a sufficient time to produce the growth regulator. Also, the use of the vegetative and growth regulator on solanaceous plants, tuber forming plants and ornamental seedlings by contacting the roots or shoots of the plant with a sufficient amount of the growth regulator to regulate the growth of the plant and one more of canopy size, plant height, stem length, internode number and presence of tubers in fresh mass. Finally, a method for regulating the growth of potato plants using a recirculating hydroponic system is described.

Stutte, Gary W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Assessing potential targets of calcium action in light-modulated gravitropism

Light, through the mediation of the pigment phytochrome, modulates the gravitropic response of the shoots and roots of many plants. The transduction of both light and gravity stimuli appears to involve Ca(2+)-regulated steps, one or more of which may represent points of intersection between the two transduction chains. To be confident that Ca2+ plays a critical role in stimulus-response coupling for gravitropism, it will be important to identify specific targets of Ca2+ action whose function can be clearly linked to the regulation of growth. Calcium typically exerts its influence on cell metabolism through binding to and activating key regulatory proteins. The three best characterized of these proteins in plants are the calmodulins, calcium-dependent protein kinases, and annexins. In this review we summarize what is known about the structure and function of these proteins and speculate on how their activation by Ca2+ could influence the differential growth response of gravitropism.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS2005

Porous media matric potential and water content measurements during parabolic flight

Control of water and air in the root zone of plants remains a challenge in the microgravity environment of space. Due to limited flight opportunities, research aimed at resolving microgravity porous media fluid dynamics must often be conducted on Earth. The NASA KC-135 reduced gravity flight program offers an opportunity for Earth-based researchers to study physical processes in a variable gravity environment. The objectives of this study were to obtain measurements of water content and matric potential during the parabolic profile flown by the KC-135 aircraft. The flight profile provided 20-25 s of microgravity at the top of the parabola, while pulling 1.8 g at the bottom. The soil moisture sensors (Temperature and Moisture Acquisition System: Orbital Technologies, Madison, WI) used a heat-pulse method to indirectly estimate water content from heat dissipation. Tensiometers were constructed using a stainless steel porous cup with a pressure transducer and were used to measure the matric potential of the medium. The two types of sensors were placed at different depths in a substrate compartment filled with 1-2 mm Turface (calcined clay). The ability of the heat-pulse sensors to monitor overall changes in water content in the substrate compartment decreased with water content. Differences in measured water content data recorded at 0, 1, and 1.8 g were not significant. Tensiometer readings tracked pressure differences due to the hydrostatic force changes with variable gravity. The readings may have been affected by changes in cabin air pressure that occurred during each parabola. Tensiometer porous membrane conductivity (function of pore size) and fluid volume both influence response time. Porous media sample height and water content influence time-to-equilibrium, where shorter samples and higher water content achieve faster equilibrium. Further testing is needed to develop these sensors for space flight applications.

Parabolic Flight↗
NASA NTRS1997

Modulation of statolith mass and grouping in white clover (Trifolium repens) growth in 1-g, microgravity and on the clinostat

Current models of gravity perception in higher plants focus on the buoyant weight of starch-filled amyloplasts as the initial gravity signal susceptor (statolith). However, no tests have yet determined if statolith mass is regulated to increase or decrease gravity stimulus to the plant. To this end, the root caps of white clover (Trifolium repens) grown in three gravity environments with three different levels of gravity stimulation have been examined: (i) 1-g control with normal static gravistimulation, (ii) on a slow clinostat with constant gravistimulation, and (iii) in the stimulus-free microgravity aboard the Space Shuttle. Seedlings were germinated and grown in the BioServe Fluid Processing Apparatus and root cap structure was examined at both light and electron microscopic levels, including three-dimensional cell reconstruction from serial sections. Quantitative analysis of the electron micrographs demonstrated that the starch content of amyloplasts varied with seedling age but not gravity condition. It was also discovered that, unlike in starch storage amyloplasts, all of the starch granules of statolith amyloplasts were encompassed by a fine filamentous, ribosome-excluding matrix. From light micrographic 3-D cell reconstructions, the absolute volume, number, and positional relationships between amyloplasts showed (i) that individual amyloplast volume increased in microgravity but remained constant in seedlings grown for up to three days on the clinostat, (ii) the number of amyloplasts per cell remained unchanged in microgravity but decreased on the clinostat, and (iii) the three-dimensional positions of amyloplasts were not random. Instead amyloplasts in microgravity were grouped near the cell centers while those from the clinostat appeared more dispersed. Taken together, these observations suggest that changing gravity stimulation can elicit feedback control over statolith mass by changing the size, number, and grouping of amyloplasts. These results support the starch-statolith theory of graviperception in higher plants and add to current models with a new feedback control loop as a mechanism for modulation of statolith responsiveness to inertial acceleration.

Flight Experiment↗
NASA NTRS1991

Expression of characteristics of ammonium nutrition as affected by pH of the root medium

To study the effect of root-zone pH on characteristic responses of NH4+ -fed plants, soybeans (Glycine max inverted question markL. inverted question mark Merr. cv. Ransom) were grown in flowing solution culture for 21 d on four sources of N (1.0 mol m-3 NO3-, 0.67 mol m-3 NO3- plus 0.33 mol m-3 NH4+, 0.33 mol m-3 NO3- plus 0.67 mol m-3 NH4+, and 1.0 mol m-3 NH4+) with nutrient solutions maintained at pH 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, and 4.5. Amino acid concentration increased in plants grown with NH4+ as the sole source of N at all pH levels. Total amino acid concentration in the roots of NH4+ -fed plants was 8 to 10 times higher than in NO3(-)-fed plants, with asparagine accounting for more than 70% of the total in the roots of these plants. The concentration of soluble carbohydrates in the leaves of NH4+ -fed plants was greater than that of NO3(-)-fed plants, but was lower in roots of NH4+ -fed plants, regardless of pH. Starch concentration was only slightly affected by N source or root-zone pH. At all levels of pH tested, organic acid concentration in leaves was much lower when NH4+ was the sole N source than when all or part of the N was supplied as NO3-. Plants grown with mixed NO3- plus NH4+ N sources were generally intermediate between NO3(-)- and NH4+ -fed plants. Thus, changes in tissue composition characteristic of NH4+ nutrition when root-zone pH was maintained at 4.5 and growth was reduced, still occurred when pH was maintained at 5.0 or above, where growth was not affected. The changes were slightly greater at pH 4.5 than at higher pH levels.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1992

Water Relations, Gas Exchange, and Nutrient Response to a Long Term Constant Water Deficit

Wheat plants (Triticum aestivum) were grown for 43 days in a micro-porous tube nutrient delivery system. Roots were unable to penetrate the microporous tube, but grew on the surface and maintained capillary contact with the nutrient solution on the inside of the tube through the 5-micron pores of the porous tube. Water potential in the system was controlled at -0.4, -0.8, and -3.0 kPa by adjusting the applied pressure (hydrostatic head) to the nutrient solution flowing through the microporous tubes. A relatively small decrease in applied water potential from -0.4 to -3.0 kPa resulted in a 34% reduction of shoot growth but only a moderate reduction in the midday leaf water potential from -1.3 to -1.7 MPa. Carbon dioxide assimilation decreased and water use efficiency increased with the more negative applied water potentials, while intercellular CO2 concentration remained constant. This was associated with a decrease in stomatal conductance to water vapor from 1.90 to 0.98 mol/(sq m sec) and a decrease in total apparent hydraulic conductance from 47 to 12 (micro)mol/(sec MPa). Although the applied water potentials were in the -0.4 to -3.0 kPa range, the actual water potential perceived by the plant roots appeared to be in the range of -0.26 to -0.38 MPa as estimated by the leaf water potential of bagged plants. The amount of K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu, and B accumulated with each unit of transpired water increased as the applied water potential became less negative. The increase in accumulation ranged from 1.4-fold for K to 2.2-fold for B. The physiological responses observed in this study in response to small constant differences in applied water potentials were much greater than expected from either the applied water potential or the observed plant water potential. Even though the micro-porous tube may not represent natural conditions and could possibly introduce morphological and physiological artifacts, it enables a high degree of control of water potential that facilitates the investigation of many aspects of water relations not practical with other experimental systems.

Berry, Wade L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Proliferation of maize (Zea mays L.) roots in response to localized supply of nitrate

Maize (Zea mays L.) plants with two primary nodal root axes were grown for 8 d in flowing nutrient culture with each axis independently supplied with NO3-. Dry matter accumulation by roots was similar whether 1.0 mol m-3 NO3- was supplied to one or both axes. When NO3- was supplied to only one axis, however, accumulation of dry matter within the root system was significantly greater in the axis supplied with NO3-. The increased dry matter accumulation by the +N-treated axis was attributable entirely to increased density and growth of lateral branches and not to a difference in growth of the primary axis. Proliferation of lateral branches for the +N axis was associated with the capacity for in situ reduction and utilization of a portion of the absorbed NO3-, especially in the apical region where lateral primordia are initiated. Although reduced nitrogen was translocated to the -N axis, concentrations in the -N axis remained significantly lower than in the +N axis. The concentration of reduced nitrogen, as well as in vitro NO3- reductase activity, was greater in apical than in more basal regions of the +N axis. The enhanced proliferation of lateral branches in the +N axis was accompanied by an increase in total respiration rate of the axis. Part of the increased respiration was attributable to increased mass of roots. The specific respiration rate (micromoles CO2 evolved per hour per gram root dry weight) was also greater for the +N than for the -N axis. If respiration rate is taken as representative of sink demand, stimulation of initiation and growth of laterals by in situ utilization of a localized exogenous supply of NO3- establishes an increased sink demand through enhanced metabolic activity and the increased partitioning of assimilates to the +N axis responds to the difference in sink demand between +N and -N axes.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1992

Plastids: dynamic components of plant cell development

The gravitropic bending of maize roots, as a response to reorientation of the root within a gravitational field, was examined for sensitivity to exogenous applications of the cytoskeletal inhibitor, cytochalasin D. Agar blocks were impregnated with this inhibitor, and were applied either to the root cap or to the zone of root cell elongation. Root growth was normal with either treatment, if the roots were not repositioned with respect to the gravitational vector. When untreated roots were placed in a horizontal position with respect to gravity, a 40 degree bending response was observed within one hour. This bending also occurred when cytochalasin D was applied at high concentrations to the zone of root cell elongation. However, when cytochalasin D above 40 micrograms/ml was applied to the root cap, roots lost the ability of directional reorientation within the gravitational field, causing a random bending.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mutant Peas as Probes in the Understanding of Growth and Gravitropism

One mutant of Pism sativum CREEP grows normally up to the first internode stage, and then begins to grow plagiotropically. The upper internodes bend slowly downward according to a programmed sequence which follows circumnutation of the previous internode and opening of the previous leaves, but preceeds expansion of the previous leaves. The bending is partially inhibited by excission of the opposing stipules. The second mutant, AGEOTROPUM is gravitropically incompetant when grown etiolated, in the dark. When etiolated plants are illuminated with white light, the stems become gravitropically competant, but the roots do not. If the plants are grown in the light in particulate medium, some secondary roots, growing randomly, emerge into the air, and turn and grow downward toward moist soil. When etiolated AGEOTROPUM plants are illuminated, the shoots then become able to respond to gravity in a normal, negatively orthogravitropic manner. The response is to red light and is reversed by far red light. The mutation may involve one or more of the following: (1) release of sequestered calcium for redistribution; (2) radial transport of released calcium; or (3) net calcium flux in the upward direction.

Jaffe, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Induction of Plant Curvature by Magnetophoresis and Cytoskeletal Changes during Root Graviresponse

High gradient magnetic fields (HGMF) induce curvature in roots and shoots. It is considered that this response is likely to be based on the intracellular displacement of bulk starch (amyloplasts) by the ponderomotive force generated by the HGMF. This process is called magnetophoresis. The differential elongation during the curvature along the concave and convex flanks of growing organs may be linked to the microtubular and/or microfilament cytoskeleton. The possible existence of an effect of the HGMF on the cytoskeleton was tested for, but none was found. The application of cytoskeletal stabilizers or depolymerizers showed that neither microtubules, nor microfilaments, are involved in the graviresponse.

Hasenstein, Karl H.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Flavonoids act as negative regulators of auxin transport in vivo in arabidopsis

Polar transport of the plant hormone auxin controls many aspects of plant growth and development. A number of synthetic compounds have been shown to block the process of auxin transport by inhibition of the auxin efflux carrier complex. These synthetic auxin transport inhibitors may act by mimicking endogenous molecules. Flavonoids, a class of secondary plant metabolic compounds, have been suggested to be auxin transport inhibitors based on their in vitro activity. The hypothesis that flavonoids regulate auxin transport in vivo was tested in Arabidopsis by comparing wild-type (WT) and transparent testa (tt4) plants with a mutation in the gene encoding the first enzyme in flavonoid biosynthesis, chalcone synthase. In a comparison between tt4 and WT plants, phenotypic differences were observed, including three times as many secondary inflorescence stems, reduced plant height, decreased stem diameter, and increased secondary root development. Growth of WT Arabidopsis plants on naringenin, a biosynthetic precursor to those flavonoids with auxin transport inhibitor activity in vitro, leads to a reduction in root growth and gravitropism, similar to the effects of synthetic auxin transport inhibitors. Analyses of auxin transport in the inflorescence and hypocotyl of independent tt4 alleles indicate that auxin transport is elevated in plants with a tt4 mutation. In hypocotyls of tt4, this elevated transport is reversed when flavonoids are synthesized by growth of plants on the flavonoid precursor, naringenin. These results are consistent with a role for flavonoids as endogenous regulators of auxin transport.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
NASA NTRS2003

Changes in vacuolation in the root apex cells of soybean seedlings in microgravity

Changes in the vacuolation in root apex cells of soybean (Glycine max L. [Merr.]) seedlings grown in microgravity were investigated. Spaceflight and ground control seedlings were grown in the absence or presence of KMnO4 (to remove ethylene) for 6 days. After landing, in order to study of cell ultrastructure and subcellular free calcium ion distribution, seedling root apices were fixed in 2.5% (w/v) glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer and 2% (w/v) glutaraldehyde, 2.5% (w/v) formaldehyde, 2% (w/v) potassium antimonate K[Sb(OH)6] in 0.1 M K2HPO4 buffer with an osmolarity (calculated theoretically) of 0.45 and 1.26 osmol. The concentrations of ethylene in all spaceflight canisters were significantly higher than in the ground control canisters. Seedling growth was reduced in the spaceflight-exposed plants. Additionally, the spaceflight-exposed plants exhibited progressive vacuolation in the root apex cells, particularly in the columella cells, to a greater degree than the ground controls. Plasmolysis was observed in columella cells of spaceflight roots fixed in solutions with relatively high osmolarity (1.26 osmol). The appearance of plasmolysis permitted the evaluation of the water status of cells. The water potential of the spaceflight cells was higher than the surrounding fixative solution. A decrease in osmotic potential and/or an increase in turgor potential may have induced increases in cell water potential. However, the plasmolysed (i.e. non-turgid) cells implied that increases in water potential were accompanied with a decrease in osmotic potential. In such cells changes in vacuolation may have been involved to maintain turgor pressure or may have been a result of intensification of other vacuolar functions like digestion and storage. c2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1989

Effects of root-zone acidity on utilization of nitrate and ammonium in tobacco plants

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L., cv. 'Coker 319') plants were grown for 28 days in flowing nutrient culture containing either 1.0 mM NO3- or 1.0 mM NH4+ as the nitrogen source in a complete nutrient solution. Acidities of the solutions were controlled at pH 6.0 or 4.0 for each nitrogen source. Plants were sampled at intervals of 6 to 8 days for determination of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation. Specific rates of NO3- or NH4+ uptake (rate of uptake per unit root mass) were calculated from these data. Net photosynthetic rates per unit leaf area were measured on attached leaves by infrared gas analysis. When NO3- [correction of NO-] was the sole nitrogen source, root growth and nitrogen uptake rate were unaffected by pH of the solution, and photosynthetic activity of leaves and accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen in the whole plant were similar. When NH4+ was the nitrogen source, photosynthetic rate of leaves and accumulation of dry matter and nitrogen in the whole plant were not statistically different from NO3(-) -fed plants when acidity of the solution was controlled at pH 6.0. When acidity for NH4(+) -fed plants was increased to pH 4.0, however, specific rate of NH4+ uptake decreased by about 50% within the first 6 days of treatment. The effect of acidity on root function was associated with a decreased rate of accumulation of nitrogen in shoots that was accompanied by a rapid cessation of leaf development between days 6 and 13. The decline in leaf growth rate of NH4(+) -fed plants at pH 4.0 was followed by reductions in photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area. These responses of NH4(+) -fed plants to increased root-zone acidity are characteristic of the sequence of responses that occur during onset of nitrogen stress.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗