ABSTRACT

The process of photosynthesis is central to the inclusion of plants in a Closed-Environment life support system for space habitats of mission duration and crew size that render food and atmospheric regeneration desirable. Plants are being grown commercially and experimentally in controlled environments in both natural and artificial light. Phytotrons provide facilities for immediate investigations into environmental effects on plant growth, morphology, and physiology. A research undertaking to experiment with the effects and interactions on growth and development among even a normal range for all environmental parameters required for comprehensive model construction is an immense task. Crop plants possess a certain amount of genetic plasticity that potentially can be used to breed plants with a more favorable ratio of edible to total biomass or a nutritionally superior composition of plant products. Phytotrons are being used to evaluate plant response to man-made pollutants and toxic elements.