What kind of "heavenly dish" can be stationed in the space station?

The Wentian Laboratory is the first scientific experiment module of the Chinese space station. It is equipped with scientific facilities such as life ecology experiment cabinet, biotechnology experiment cabinet, scientific glove box and low-temperature storage cabinet, and variable gravity science experiment cabinet.

Brother Rong will talk to you today about the life ecology experiment cabinet. As early as July 2022, the experimental unit carrying rice seeds and Arabidopsis seeds was started. This is also the world's first cultivation study of rice in the space station "from seed to seed" throughout its life cycle.

Rice is the staple food of about half of the world's population, and studying rice cultivation in space is of great significance. But there is another crop that you may not be very familiar with - Arabidopsis thaliana, which is an ordinary grass that cannot be eaten or worn and has little economic value. So what is so special about it that it was chosen as the research object of space life experiments?

Arabidopsis, also known as Arabidopsis, mouse-ear mustard, and Arabic grass, is a small flowering plant native to Europe, Central Asia, Southwest Asia, and North Africa. It is well-known in the biological experiment community and can be called the fruit fly of the plant world. It is one of the most popular model plants for scientists to study. Many plant science studies are first conducted on Arabidopsis and then extended to other species.

What is a model plant? A plant with a short growth cycle, a small genome, and is easy to study, and it is easier to eliminate interfering factors during research can be called a model plant. Arabidopsis thaliana just meets all of the above conditions. It grows very fast and can complete a life cycle in a few weeks. It is also a self-pollinating plant that can ensure genetic stability. Its individuals are also very small, do not take up space, and can reproduce in large numbers; the plant structure is very simple, which is easy to anatomize and observe, and it is simply a "chosen vegetable".

So, what about Arabidopsis and rice growing in space? Rice living in space looks similar to that on Earth. Due to the microgravity environment in space, the branches and leaves grow in a wider range of directions. However, because plant seeds are not only gravitropic but also hydrotropic, the roots will grow in the direction of the soil rich in water. At the same time, the water spitting phenomenon on rice leaves is more obvious in space. The growth cycle of Arabidopsis living in space is significantly different from that on Earth. Arabidopsis in space grows slower, but survives longer.

Many flight experiments have shown that the space environment has a significant impact on the growth direction and development process of plants. For example, due to the lack of gravity, the growth direction of the roots, stems, and leaves of plants has no up-and-down distinction. In addition, problems such as delayed flowering, increased water discharge, slower growth, and low fruiting rate are also very prominent. Scientists selected key genes that control flowering in advance, and by controlling the expression of these genes in the plants, they designed three types of Arabidopsis with different flowering times, namely early flowering, normal flowering, and delayed flowering. It is hoped that through comparative studies of them, we can have a deeper understanding of how space environmental factors such as microgravity affect plant flowering.
We have said before that if humans want to truly settle in space, they must be self-sufficient in all aspects. So don't underestimate these inconspicuous grasses. Every small step we take in space life is a big step for humans to truly live in space.