A Study of Growth and Development of Wheat under Low Atmospheric Pressure / 航天医学与医学工程

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the cultivating technique of wheat under low pressures as to establish the basis of developing hypobaric controlled ecological life support system.Methods Wheat growing experiments under normal and low pressure(101 kPa,50 kPa) were carried out with low pressure plant-cultivating facilities,and the growing indexes of wheat under low pressure,such as photosynthetic rate,transpiration rate,growing status,yield and nutrient contents in seeds were compared with those under normal pressure.Results Wheat grew normally under low pressure as compared with those grown under normal pressure,but low pressure curled leaves of the wheat and caused them to turn yellow at prophase;after 15 d treatment under hypobaric condition,the average rates of photosynthesis and transpiration increased by 9.23%and 11.54% respectively;shoot height of wheat decreased,both tiller number of each plant and the ratio of root in whole plant increased,but harvest time was delayed for about 5 d under low pressure;the biomass and the yield of wheat increased by 5.46% and 4.39% respectively,the contents of protein and total saccharide in seeds also enhanced at reduced pressure,but other nutrient contents in seeds had no significant difference between 101 kPa and 50 kPa.Conclusion Growth of wheat is promoted in certain degree by low atmospheric pressure.