Atmospheric leakage and method for measurement of gas exchange rates of a crop stand at reduced pressure.

The variable pressure growth chamber (VPGC) was used in a 34-day functional test to grow a wheat crop using reduced pressure (70 kPa) episodes totalling 131 hours. Primary goals of the test were to verify facility and subsystem performance at 70 kPa and to determine responses of a wheat stand to reduced pressure and modified partial pressures of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Operation and maintenance of the chamber at 70 kpa involved continuous evacuation of the chamber atmosphere, leading to CO2 influx and efflux. A model for calculating CO2-exchange rates (net photosynthesis and dark respiration) was developed and tested and involved measurements of chamber leakage to determine appropriate corrections. Measurement of chamber leakage was based on the rate of pressure change over a small pressure increment (70.3 to 72.3 kPa) with the pump disabled. Leakage values were used to correct decreases and increases in chamber CO2 concentration resulting from net photosynthesis (Ps) and dark respiration (DR), respectively. Composite leakage corrections (influx and efflux) at day 7 of the test were 9% and 19% of the changes measured for Ps and DR, respectively. On day 33, composite corrections were only 3% for Ps and 4% for DR. During the test, the chamber became progressively tighter; the leak rate at 70.3 kPa decreasing from 2.36 chamber volumes/day pretest, to 1.71 volumes/day at the beginning of the test, and 1.16 volumes/day at the end of the test. Verification of the short-term leakage tests (rate of pressure rise) were made by testing CO2 leakage with the vacuum pump enabled and disabled. Results demonstrate the suitability of the VPGC or conducting gas exhange measurements of a crop stand at reduced pressure.

Photosynthesis and respiration of a wheat stand at reduced atmospheric pressure and reduced oxygen.

A 34-day functional test was conducted in Johnson Space Center's Variable Pressure Growth Chamber (VPGC) to determine responses of a wheat stand to reduced pressure (70 kPa) and modified partial pressures of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Reduced pressure episodes were generally six to seven hours in duration, were conducted at reduced ppO2 (14.7 kPa), and were interrupted with longer durations of ambient pressure (101 kPa). Daily measurements of stand net photosynthesis (Pn) and dark respiration (DR) were made at both pressures using a ppCO2 of 121 Pa. Corrections derived from leakage tests were applied to reduced pressure measurements. Rates of Pn at reduced pressure averaged over the complete test were 14.6% higher than at ambient pressure, but rates of DR were unaffected. Further reductions in ppO2 were achieved with a molecular sieve and were used to determine if Pn was enhanced by lowered O2 or by lowered pressure. Decreased ppO2 resulted in enhanced rates of Pn, regardless of pressure, but the actual response was dependent on the ratio of ppO2/ppCO2. Over the range of ppO2/ppCO2 of 80 to 200, the rate of Pn declined linearly. Rate of DR was unaffected over the same range and by dissolved O2 levels down to 3.1 ppm, suggesting that normal rhizosphere and canopy respiration occur at atmospheric ppO2 levels as low as 11 kPa. Partial separation of effects attributable to oxygen and those related to reduced pressure (e.g. enhanced diffusion of CO2) was achieved from analysis of a CO2 drawdown experiment. Results will be used for design and implementation of studies involving complete crop growth tests at reduced pressure.

NASA's Biomass Production Chamber: a testbed for bioregenerative life support studies.

The Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) located at Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA provides a large (20 m2 area, 113 m3 vol.), closed environment for crop growth tests for NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) program. Since the summer of 1988, the chamber has operated on a near-continuous basis (over 1200 days) without any major failures (excluding temporary power losses). During this time, five crops of wheat (64-86 days each), three crops of soybean (90 to 97 days), five crops of lettuce (28-30 days), and four crops of potato (90 to 105 days were grown, producing 481 kg of dry plant biomass, 196 kg edible biomass, 540 kg of oxygen, 94,700 kg of condensed water, and fixing 739 kg of carbon dioxide. Results indicate that total biomass yields were close to expected values for the given light input, but edible biomass yields and harvest indices were slightly lower than expected. Stand photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, and nutrient uptake rates were monitored throughout growth and development of the different crops, along with the build-up of ethylene and other volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere. Data were also gathered on system hardware maintenance and repair, as well as person-hours required for chamber operation. Future tests will include long-term crop production studies, tests in which nutrients from waste treatment systems will be used to grow new crops, and multi-species tests.

Carbon dioxide exchange of lettuce plants under hypobaric conditions.

Growth of plants in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) may involve the use of hypobaric pressures enabling lower mass requirements for atmospheres and possible enhancement of crop productivity. A controlled environment plant growth chamber with hypobaric capability designed and built at Ames Research Center was used to determine if reduced pressures influence the rates of photosynthesis (Ps) and dark respiration (DR) of hydroponically grown lettuce plants. The chamber, referred to as a plant volatiles chamber (PVC), has a growing area of about 0.2 m2, a total gas volume of about 0.7 m3, and a leak rate at 50 kPa of <0.1%/day. When the pressure in the chamber was reduced from ambient to 51 kPa, the rate of net Ps increased by 25% and the rate of DR decreased by 40%. The rate of Ps increased linearly with decreasing pressure. There was a greater effect of reduced pressure at 41 Pa CO2 than at 81 Pa CO2. This is consistent with reports showing greater inhibition of photorespiration (Pr) in reduced O2 at low CO2 concentrations. When the partial pressure of O2 was held constant but the total pressure was varied between 51 and 101 kPa, the rate of CO2 uptake was nearly constant, suggesting that low pressure enhancement of Ps may be mainly attributable to lowered partial pressure of O2 and the accompanying reduction in Pr. The effects of lowered partial pressure of O2 on Ps and DR could result in substantial increases in the rates of biomass production, enabling rapid throughput of crops or allowing flexibility in the use of mass and energy resources for a CELSS.

Carbon dioxide exchange of lettuce plants under hypobaric conditions.

Growth of plants in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) may involve the use of hypobaric pressures enabling lower mass requirements for atmospheres and possible enhancement of crop productivity. A controlled environment plant growth chamber with hypobaric capability designed and built at Ames Research Center was used to determine if reduced pressures influence the rates of photosynthesis (Ps) and dark respiration (DR) of hydroponically grown lettuce plants. The chamber, referred to as a plant volatiles chamber (PVC), has a growing area of about 0.2 m2, a total gas volume of about 0.7 m3, and a leak rate at 50 kPa of <0.1%/day. When the pressure in the chamber was reduced from ambient to 51 kPa, the rate of net Ps increased by 25% and the rate of DR decreased by 40%. The rate of Ps increased linearly with decreasing pressure. There was a greater effect of reduced pressure at 41 Pa CO2 than at 81 Pa CO2. This is consistent with reports showing greater inhibition of photorespiration (Pr) in reduced O2 at low CO2 concentrations. When the partial pressure of O2 was held constant but the total pressure was varied between 51 and 101 kPa, the rate of CO2 uptake was nearly constant, suggesting that low pressure enhancement of Ps may be mainly attributable to lowered partial pressure of O2 and the accompanying reduction in Pr. The effects of lowered partial pressure of O2 on Ps and DR could result in substantial increases in the rates of biomass production, enabling rapid throughput of crops or allowing flexibility in the use of mass and energy resources for a CELSS.

Into the age of biospherics

Attending the First International Conference on Life Support and Biospherics held in Huntsville, AL in 1992 made it abundantly clear to me that an exciting new field was emerging and that it would usher in a new age of highly integrated science and technology. Yet, this field was so broad and integrated that it lacked definition and direction. Through my involvement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) program, I have considered the task of trying to help define this fledgling field and have realized that it is no small task. My attempts to do so will begin with two examples of possible space biospherics situations of the future. I will then move to a brief description of CELSS as an early example of biospherics and the concept of plants as biological throttles and then progress to the proposal of questions that may be relevant to understanding this field in which we are attempting to understand and emulate the Earth's bioregenerative life support systems. A brief justification and plea for efforts in biospherics will follow. Finally, a definition with goals and examples is developed and proposed.

A data base of crop nutrient use, water use, and carbon dioxide exchange in a 2O square meter growth chamber: I. Wheat as a case study.

A data set is given describing the daily nutrient uptake, gas exchange, environmental conditions, and carbon (C), and nutrient partitioning at harvest for the entire canopy and root system of a wheat crop (Triticum aestivum, cv. Yecora Rojo). The data were obtained from a 20 m2 stand of wheat plants grown from planting to maturity in a closed, controlled environment, and include daily nutrient uptake [macronutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S); and micronutrients, iron (Fe), boron (B), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo)], canopy carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rates, and transpiration. Environmental factors such as relative humidity, air temperature, nutrient solution temperature, pH and electrical conductivity, and photoperiod were controlled in the chamber to specific set points. A detailed description of biomass yield for each of the 64 plant growth trays comprising the 20 m2 of growth area is also provided, and includes dry weights of grain, straw, chaff, and roots, along with the concentration of nutrients in different plant tissues and the percent carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To our knowledge, this information represents one of the most extensive data sets available for a canopy of wheat grown from seed to maturity under controlled environmental and nutritional conditions, and thus may provide useful information for model development and validation. A methods section is included to qualify any assumptions that might be required for the use of the data in plant growth models, along with a daily event calendar indicating when adjustments in set points and occasional equipment or sensor failures occurred.

Gas exchange characteristics of wheat stands grown in a closed, controlled environment.

Information on gas exchange of crop stands grown in controlled environments is limited, but is vital for assessing the use of crops for human life-support in closed habitats envisioned for space. Two studies were conducted to measure gas exchange of wheat stands (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yecora Rojo) grown from planting to maturity in a large (20 m2 canopy area), closed growth chamber. Daily rates of dark-period respiration and net photosynthesis of the stand were calculated from rates of CO2 build-up during dark cycles and subsequent CO2 drawdown in the light (i.e., a closed-system approach). Lighting was provided as a 20-h photoperiod by high-pressure sodium lamps, with canopy-level photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) ranging from 500 to 800 micromoles m-2 s-1 as canopy height increased. Net photosynthesis rates peaked near 27 micromoles CO2 m-2 s-1 at 25 d after planting, which corresponded closely with stand closure, and then declined slowly with age. Similarly, dark-period respiration rates peaked near 14 micromoles CO2 m-2 s-1 at 25 d and then gradually declined with age. Responses to short-term changes in irradiance after canopy closure indicated the stand light compensation point for photosynthesis to be near 200 micromoles m-2 s-1 PPFD. Tests in which CO2 concentration was raised to approximately 2000 micromoles mol-1 and then allowed to draw down to a compensation point showed that net photosynthesis was nearly saturated at > 1000 micromoles mol-1; below approximately 500 micromoles mol-1, net photosynthesis rates dropped sharply with decreasing CO2. The CO2 compensation point for photosynthesis occurred near 50 micromoles mol-1. Short-term (24 h) temperature tests showed net photosynthesis at 20 degrees C > or = 16 degrees C > 24 degrees C, while dark-period respiration at 24 degrees C > 20 degrees C > 16 degrees C. Rates of stand evapotranspiration peaked near Day 25 and remained relatively constant until about Day 75, after which rates declined slowly. Results from these tests will be used to model the use of plants for CO2 removal, O2 production, and water evaporation for controlled ecological life support systems proposed for extraterrestrial environments.

Gas exchange in NASA's biomass production chamber: a preprototype closed human life support system.

An important aspect of environmental control in a life-support system is the monitoring and regulation of atmospheric gases (Sager et al. 1988) at concentrations required for the maintenance of all life forms. It will be necessary to know the rates of CO2 use, oxygen evolution, and water flux through evapotranspiration by a crop stand under various environmental conditions, so that appropriate designs and control systems for maintaining mass balances of those gases can be achieved for a full range of environmental regimes. Mass budgets of gases will also enable evaluation of crop health by monitoring directly the rates of gas exchange and indirectly the rate of accumulation of dry matter, based on rates of carbon dioxide use. This article focuses on the unique capabilities of the NASA biomass production chamber for monitoring and evaluating gas exchange rates, with special emphasis on results with wheat and soybean, two candidate species identified by NASA for CELSS.