Analysis of Development in Strains of the Plant Arabidopsis thaliana in Altered Gravity Conditions

To enhance current knowledge on growing plants in microgravity and reduced gravity conditions (e.g., Moon, Mars), this research project aimed to find strains of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that showed possible resistance to gravitational stress. Gravitational stress resistance was displayed in strains that demonstrated a similar growth response to the strains grown under normal conditions. In this project, 70 wild-type strains of Arabidopsis thaliana were tested for their gravitational stress-resistance by simulating microgravity with a 2-D clinostat, a device designed to randomize gravity. Surface-sterilized seeds were placed in Petri dishes with Murashige and Skoog nutrient agar and rotated on a clinostat or kept vertically (for controls) for seven days. The average shoot length, main root length, number of secondary roots, total root length, and number of root hairs per total root length of the clinorotated seedlings are compared to that of the vertically-grown controls using FIJI ImageJ, image-analysis tool. Under clinorotation, most strains showed significantly reduced shoot growth and varying growth in root and other parameters. Seven genotypes, however, were specifically of interest, including CIBC-5, which showed no statistically significant difference in growth across all parameters tested. We hypothesize that these genotypes will adapt better for growing in microgravity conditions and will be our prime candidates for further ground-based and spaceflight testing