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At least 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Effect of Carbon Dioxide Enrichment on Radish Production Using Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)

Radish plants (Raphanus sativus L. cvs. Cherry Belle, Giant White Globe, and Early Scarlet Globe) were grown in four different CO2 enriched environments, 0.04, 0.10, 0.50, and 1.00 kPa (400, 1000, 5000, 10000 ppm). Cultivar responses to CO2 treatments varied, where cv. Cherry Belle showed no significant response to CO2 enrichment, cv. Giant White Globe was moderately affected and Early Scarlet Globe was strongly affected. Enrichment at 0.10 kPa led to greater root dry matter (DM) than 1.00 kPa for cv. Giant White Glove, whereas 0.10 kPa produced greater storage root, shoot, and root DM than 1.00 kPa for cv. Early Scarlet Globe. The data suggest that 1.00 kPa CO2 may be detrimental to the growth of certain radish cultivars. Root:shoot ratios tended to increase with increasing CO2 concentration. Water use efficiency (g biomass/kg H2O) increased with increasing CO2 enrichment, up to 0.5 kPa but then declined at the 1.00 kPa treatment. The total nitric acid used to maintain nutrient solution pH was lowest at the 1.00 kPa treatment as well, suggesting a decreased demand of nutrients by the plants at the highest CO2 level.

Mackowiak, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of several environmental factors on sweetpotato growth

Effects of relative humidity, light intensity and photoperiod on growth of 'Ga Jet' and TI-155' sweetpotato cultivars, using the nutrient film technique (NFT), have been reported. In this study, the effect of ambient temperature regimes (constant 28 C and diurnal 28:222 C day:night) and different CO2 levels (ambient, 400, 1 000 and 10 000 microL/L-400, 1 000 and 10 000 ppm) on growth of one or both of these cultivars in NFT are reported. For a 24-h photoperiod, no storage roots were prodcued for either cultivar in NFT when sweetpotato plants were grown at a constant temperature of 28 C. For the same photoperiod, when a 28:22 C diurnal temperature variation was used, there were still no storage roots for 'TI-155' but the cv. 'Ga Jet' produced 537 g/plant of storage roots. For both a 12-h and 24-h photoperiod. 'Ga Jet' storage root fresh and dry weight tended to be higher with a 28:22 C diurnal temperature variation than with a constant 28 C temperature regime. Preliminary results with both 'Ga Jet' and 'TI-155' cultivars indicate a distinctive diurnal stomatal response for sweetpotato grown in NFT under an ambient CO2 level. The stomatal conductance values observed for 'Ga Jet' at elevated CO2 levels indicated that the difference between the light- and dark-period conductance rates persisted at 400, 1 000, and 10 000 microL/L.

Loretan, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Survival of Potentially Pathogenic Human-Associated Bacteria in the Rhizosphere of Hydroponically Grown Wheat

Plants may serve as reservoirs for human-associated bacteria (H-AB) in long-term space missions containing bioregenerative life support systems. The current study examined the abilities of five human-associated potential pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas cepacia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Escherichia coli, to colonize and grow in the rhizosphere of hydroponically grown wheat, a candidate crop for life support. All of these bacteria have been recovered from past NASA missions and present potential problems for future missions. The abilities of these organisms to adhere to the roots of axenic five-day-old wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yecora rojo) were evaluated by enumeration of the attached organisms after a one hour incubation of roots in a suspension (approximately 10(exp 8 cu/ml)) of the H-AB. Results showed that a greater percentage of P. aeruginosa cells adhered to the wheat roots than the other four H-AB. Similarly incubated seedlings were also grown under attempted axenic conditions for seven days to examine the potential of each organism to proliferate in the rhizosphere (root colonization capacity). P. cepacia and P. aeruginosa showed considerable growth. E. coli and S. aureus showed no significant growth, and S. pyogenes died off in the wheat rhizosphere. Studies examining the effects of competition on the survival of these microorganisms indicated that P. aeruginosa was the only organism that survived in the rhizosphere of hydroponically grown wheat in the presence of different levels of microbial competition.

Morales, Anabelle↗
NASA NTRS1997

Accelerometer Data Analysis and Presentation Techniques

The NASA Lewis Research Center's Principal Investigator Microgravity Services project analyzes Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment and Space Acceleration Measurement System data for principal investigators of microgravity experiments. Principal investigators need a thorough understanding of data analysis techniques so that they can request appropriate analyses to best interpret accelerometer data. Accelerometer data sampling and filtering is introduced along with the related topics of resolution and aliasing. Specific information about the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment and Space Acceleration Measurement System data sampling and filtering is given. Time domain data analysis techniques are discussed and example environment interpretations are made using plots of acceleration versus time, interval average acceleration versus time, interval root-mean-square acceleration versus time, trimmean acceleration versus time, quasi-steady three dimensional histograms, and prediction of quasi-steady levels at different locations. An introduction to Fourier transform theory and windowing is provided along with specific analysis techniques and data interpretations. The frequency domain analyses discussed are power spectral density versus frequency, cumulative root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, one-third octave band root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, and power spectral density versus frequency versus time (spectrogram). Instructions for accessing NASA Lewis Research Center accelerometer data and related information using the internet are provided.

Rogers, Melissa J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1960

Flight Measurement of Wall-Pressure Fluctuations and Boundary-Layer Turbulence

The results are presented for a flight test program using a fighter type jet aircraft flying at pressure altitudes of 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 feet at Mach numbers from 0.3 to 0.8. Specially designed apparatus was used to measure and record the output of microphones and hot-wire anemometers mounted on the forward-fuselage section and wing of the airplane. Mean-velocity profiles in the boundary layers were obtained from total-pressure measurements. The ratio of the root-mean-square fluctuating wall pressure to the free-stream dynamic pressure is presented as a function of Reynolds number and Mach number. The longitudinal component of the turbulent-velocity fluctuations was measured, and the turbulence-intensity profiles are presented for the wing and forward-fuselage section. In general, the results are in agreement with wind-tunnel measurements which have been-reported in the literature. For example, the variation the square root of p(sup 2)/q times the square root of p(sup 2) is the root mean square of the wall-pressure fluctuation, and q is the free-stream dynamic pressure) with Reynolds number was found to be essentially constant for the forward-fuselage-section boundary layer, while variations at the wing station were probably unduly affected by the microphone diameter (5/8 in.), which was large compared with the boundary-layer thickness.

Mull, Harold R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Re-Evaluation of the Role of Starch in Gravitropic Sensing

Plant organs grow toward or away from gravity as a way to orient those organs for optimizing growth. Starch has long been thought to be important in sensing the direction of the g-vector in gravitropism, but that hypothesis has also evoked controversy. We have previously shown that starch-deficient mutants of Arabidopsis (TC7) and Nicotiana (NS458) are impaired in their gravitropism. While this suggests that starch is not necessary for reduced gravitropism, it also indicates that the mass of the starch contributes to sensing when present and thus is necessary for full gravitropic sensitivity. The research supported by this grant focused on three related projects, (1) the effect of light on hypocotyl gravitropism in NS458, (2) the effects of root phototropism on measurements of gravitropic sensitivity, and (3) the effects of starch overproduction on sedimentation and gravitropism. Collectively, our results provide additional strong support for the importance of starch in gravitropic sensing. First, by accounting for negative phototropism in roots of two starchless mutants of Arabidopsis we have established that these mutants are much less sensitive to gravity than previously thought. This work also demonstrates the importance of designing experimental protocols that remove the influence of root phototropism on measuring root gravitropism. Second, light apparently promotes gravitropism in starch-deficient Nicotiana hypocotyls by increasing the trace amounts of starch in the plastids, by inducing limited plastid sedimentation and thus by presumably increasing the signal provided by plastid mass. And finally, we show that excess starch in Arabidopsis seedlings has little effect on gravitropic sensitivity implying that the sensing system is already saturated. However, in light-grown stems where this mutation results in starch accumulation and where the wild-type practically lacks starch in the sensing cells, the mutant is much more sensitive than the wild-type again showing that the loss of starch depresses gravity sensing.

Sack, Fred D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Approximation for Horizontal Photon Transport in Cloud Remote Sensing Problems

The effect of horizontal photon transport within real-world clouds can be of consequence to remote sensing problems based on plane-parallel cloud models. An analytic approximation for the root-mean-square horizontal displacement of reflected and transmitted photons relative to the incident cloud-top location is derived from random walk theory. The resulting formula is a function of the average number of photon scatterings, and particle asymmetry parameter and single scattering albedo. In turn, the average number of scatterings can be determined from efficient adding/doubling radiative transfer procedures. The approximation is applied to liquid water clouds for typical remote sensing solar spectral bands, involving both conservative and non-conservative scattering. Results compare well with Monte Carlo calculations. Though the emphasis is on horizontal photon transport in terrestrial clouds, the derived approximation is applicable to any multiple scattering plane-parallel radiative transfer problem. The complete horizontal transport probability distribution can be described with an analytic distribution specified by the root-mean-square and average displacement values. However, it is shown empirically that the average displacement can be reasonably inferred from the root-mean-square value. An estimate for the horizontal transport distribution can then be made from the root-mean-square photon displacement alone.

Plantnick, Steven↗
NASA NTRS2000

Blading System and Method For Controlling Structural Vibrations

A new blading system for controlling the structural vibrations in axial-flow compressors, turbines, or fans, as in aircraft engines and like turbomachines including a stator disc and a rotor disc is presented. The rotor disc defines several radial hubs that retain the rotor blading systems. Each blading system includes a blade formed of an airfoil, and a root attachment which is dimensioned to fit within, and to engage a corresponding hub. Viscoelastic dampers are selectively applied to the outer surfaces of the root attachment on which compressive or shear forces are likely to develop, intermediate the root attachment and the hub, for compression therebetween upon rotation of the rotor disc, in order to dampen structural vibrations. One advantage presented by the viscoelastic dampers lies in its simplicity, efficiency, cost effectiveness, and its ability to be retrofitted into existing turbomachines with minor surface treatment of the root attachments. Furthermore, since the dampers are not exposed to the inflowing airstream, they do not affect the aerodynamic performance of the turbomachine. Another feature of the damping system is that it provides a significant source of damping to minimize destructive structural vibrations, thereby increasing the durability of the turbomachine, and reducing acoustic noise accompanying high amplitude vibrations.

Nguyen, Nhan↗
NASA NTRS2004

Solar Magnetic Explosions, Spicules, and the Heliosphere

We present an example of each of the following observed characteristics of the magnetic origins of quiet-region coronal heating, spicules, macrospicules, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). (1) In quiet regions, the luminosity of the corona is roughly proportional to the edge length of the underlying photospheric magnetic network. (2) Spicules and EUV explosive events are concentrated at the edges of the magnetic network. (3) Many macrospicules have the magnetic structure of a surge rooted around an inclusion of opposite-polarity magnetic flux. (4) CMEs and eruptive flares are driven by explosions of sheared magnetic fields rooted along polarity dividing lines (neutral lines) in the photospheric magnetic flux. These characteristics together suggest that the mainstay of the heliosphere, the corona/solar wind rooted in quiet regions and coronal holes, may be driven by myriads of tiny magnetic explosions at the network edges, explosions like those that drive CMEs but of vastly smaller scale. If so, the steady solar wind and the CMEs that disrupt it both have the same root cause: explosions of initially-closed, strongly-sheared, bipolar magnetic fields. The photospheric vector magnetograms, chromospheric filtergrams, EUV spectra, and coronal images from Solar-B are expected to have sufficient sensitivity, spatial resolution, and cadence to test this scenario for coronal heating in quiet regions and coronal holes. This work was supported by NASA/OSS through its Solar and Heliospheric Physics SR and T Program and Sun-Earth Connection GI Program.

Moore, Ronald L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Germination and elongation of flax in microgravity

This experiment was conducted as part of a risk mitigation payload aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-101. The objectives were to test a newly developed water delivery system, and to determine the optimal combination of water volume and substrate for the imbibition and germination of flax (Linum usitatissimum) seeds in space. Two different combinations of germination paper were tested for their ability to absorb, distribute, and retain water in microgravity. A single layer of thick germination paper was compared with one layer of thin germination paper under a layer of thick paper. Paper strips were cut to fit snugly into seed cassettes, and seeds were glued to them with the micropyle ends pointing outward. Water was delivered in small increments that traveled through the paper via capillary action. Three water delivery volumes were tested, with the largest (480 microliters) outperforming the 400 microliters and 320 microliters volumes for percent germination (90.6%) and root growth (mean=4.1 mm) during the 34-hour spaceflight experiment. The ground control experiment yielded similar results, but with lower rates of germination (84.4%) and shorter root lengths (mean=2.8 mm). It is not clear if the roots emerged more quickly in microgravity and/or grew faster than the ground controls. The single layer of thick germination paper generally exhibited better overall growth than the two layered option. Significant seed position effects were observed in both the flight and ground control experiments. Overall, the design of the water delivery system, seed cassettes and the germination paper strip concept was validated as an effective method for promoting seed germination and root growth under microgravity conditions. c2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2001

Nitrate concentration effects on NO3-N uptake and reduction, growth, and fruit yield in strawberry

Strawberries (Fragaria xananassa Duch. 'Osogrande') were grown hydroponically with three NO3-N concentrations (3.75, 7.5, or 15.0 mM) to determine effects of varying concentration on NO3-N uptake and reduction rates, and to relate these processes to growth and fruit yield. Plants were grown for 32 weeks, and NO3-N uptake and nitrate reductase (NR) activities in roots and shoots were measured during vegetative and reproductive growth. In general, NO3-N uptake rates increased as NO3-N concentration in the hydroponics system increased. Tissue NO3- concentration also increased as external NO3-N concentration increased, reflecting the differences in uptake rates. There was no effect of external NO3-N concentration on NR activities in leaves or roots during either stage of development. Leaf NR activity averaged approximately 360 nmol NO2 formed/g fresh weight (FW)/h over both developmental stages, while NR activity in roots was much lower, averaging approximately 115 nmol NO2 formed/g FW/h. Vegetative organ FW, dry weight (DW), and total fruit yield were unaffected by NO3-N concentration. These data suggest that the inability of strawberry to increase growth and fruit yield in response to increasing NO3-N concentrations is not due to limitations in NO3-N uptake rates, but rather to limitations in NO3- reduction and/or assimilation in both roots and leaves.

NASA Center KSC↗
NASA NTRS2000

Pythium invasion of plant-based life support systems: biological control and sources

Invasion of plant-based life support systems by plant pathogens could cause plant disease and disruption of life support capability. Root rot caused by the fungus, Pythium, was observed during tests of prototype plant growth systems containing wheat at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). We conducted experiments to determine if the presence of complex microbial communities in the plant root zone (rhizosphere) resisted invasion by the Pythium species isolated from the wheat root. Rhizosphere inocula of different complexity (as assayed by community-level physiological profile: CLPP) were developed using a dilution/extinction approach, followed by growth in hydroponic rhizosphere. Pythium growth on wheat roots and concomitant decreases in plant growth were inversely related to the complexity of the inocula during 20-day experiments in static hydroponic systems. Pythium was found on the seeds of several different wheat cultivars used in controlled environmental studies, but it is unclear if the seed-borne fungal strain(s) were identical to the pathogenic strain recovered from the KSC studies. Attempts to control pathogens and their effects in hydroponic life support systems should include early inoculation with complex microbial communities, which is consistent with ecological theory.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1998

Nitrogen balance for wheat canopies (Triticum aestivum cv. Veery 10) grown under elevated and ambient CO2 concentrations

We examined the hypothesis that elevated CO2 concentration would increase NO3- absorption and assimilation using intact wheat canopies (Triticum aestivum cv. Veery 10). Nitrate consumption, the sum of plant absorption and nitrogen loss, was continuously monitored for 23 d following germination under two CO2 concentrations (360 and 1000 micromol mol-1 CO2) and two root zone NO3- concentrations (100 and 1000 mmol m3 NO3-). The plants were grown at high density (1780 m-2) in a 28 m3 controlled environment chamber using solution culture techniques. Wheat responded to 1000 micromol mol-1 CO2 by increasing carbon allocation to root biomass production. Elevated CO2 also increased root zone NO3- consumption, but most of this increase did not result in higher biomass nitrogen. Rather, nitrogen loss accounted for the greatest part of the difference in NO3- consumption between the elevated and ambient [CO2] treatments. The total amount of NO3(-)-N absorbed by roots or the amount of NO3(-)-N assimilated per unit area did not significantly differ between elevated and ambient [CO2] treatments. Instead, specific leaf organic nitrogen content declined, and NO3- accumulated in canopies growing under 1000 micromol mol-1 CO2. Our results indicated that 1000 micromol mol-1 CO2 diminished NO3- assimilation. If NO3- assimilation were impaired by high [CO2], then this offers an explanation for why organic nitrogen contents are often observed to decline in elevated [CO2] environments.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1998

Adaptation to high CO2 concentration in an optimal environment: radiation capture, canopy quantum yield and carbon use efficiency

The effect of elevated [CO2] on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Veery 10) productivity was examined by analysing radiation capture, canopy quantum yield, canopy carbon use efficiency, harvest index and daily C gain. Canopies were grown at either 330 or 1200 micromoles mol-1 [CO2] in controlled environments, where root and shoot C fluxes were monitored continuously from emergence to harvest. A rapidly circulating hydroponic solution supplied nutrients, water and root zone oxygen. At harvest, dry mass predicted from gas exchange data was 102.8 +/- 4.7% of the observed dry mass in six trials. Neither radiation capture efficiency nor carbon use efficiency were affected by elevated [CO2], but yield increased by 13% due to a sustained increase in canopy quantum yield. CO2 enrichment increased root mass, tiller number and seed mass. Harvest index and chlorophyll concentration were unchanged, but CO2 enrichment increased average life cycle net photosynthesis (13%, P < 0.05) and root respiration (24%, P < 0.05). These data indicate that plant communities adapt to CO2 enrichment through changes in C allocation. Elevated [CO2] increases sink strength in optimal environments, resulting in sustained increases in photosynthetic capacity, canopy quantum yield and daily C gain throughout the life cycle.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1994

Isatin as an auxin source favoring floral and vegetative shoot regeneration from calli produced by thin layer explants of tomato pedicel

Thin layer explants taken from the pedicels and peduncles of flowering tomato plants yielded calli with great organogenetic potential. Of the 15 cultivars tested, 7 regenerated roots, shoots and eventually entire fruit-bearing plants. Calli grown on modified Murashige-Skoog medium responded to varied auxins and cytokinins with different morphogenetic patterns. Thus, naphthaleneacetic acid yielded root-producing calli, while the auxin precursor isatin (indole 2,3-dione) caused the production of calli with vegetative and floral shoots, rarely yielding roots. This may be related to isatin's slow, steady conversion to an active auxin (Plant Physiol 41:1485-1488, 1966) in contrast with naphthaleneacetic acid's immediate presentation of a high level of active auxin. The highest incidence of vegetative shoot (100%) and flower (50%) formation was obtained with 10 micromoles isatin and 3 micromoles zeatin. A few of the flowers developed into ripe fruits. The high frequency of induction of vegetative shoots and flowers before roots with isatin suggests its utility in micropropagation from plant tissue cultures.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS1990

A porous stainless steel membrane system for extraterrestrial crop production

A system was developed in which nutrient flow to plant roots is controlled by a thin (0.98 or 1.18 mm) porous (0.2 or 0.5 microns) stainless steel sheet membrane. The flow of nutrient solution through the membrane is controlled by adjusting the relative negative pressure on the nutrient solution side of the membrane. Thus, the nutrient solution is contained by the membrane and cannot escape from the compartment even under microgravity conditions if the appropriate pressure gradient across the membrane is maintained. Plant roots grow directly on the top surface of the membrane and pull the nutrient solution through this membrane interface. The volume of nutrient solution required by this system for plant growth is relatively small, since the plenum, which contains the nutrient solution in contact with the membrane, needs only to be of sufficient size to provide for uniform flow to all parts of the membrane. Solution not passing through the membrane to the root zone is recirculated through a reservoir where pH and nutrient levels are controlled. The size of the solution reservoir depends on the sophistication of the replenishment system. The roots on the surface of the membrane are covered with a polyethylene film (white on top, black on bottom) to maintain a high relative humidity and also limit light to prevent algal growth. Seeds are sown directly on the stainless steel membrane under the holes in the polyethylene film that allow a pathway for the shoots.

NASA Discipline Number 61-20↗
NASA NTRS1984

Alterations in internal partitioning of carbon in soybean plants in response to nitrogen stress

Alterations in internal partitioning of carbon were evaluated in plants exposed to limited nitrogen supply. Vegetative, nonnodulated soybean plants (Glycine max (L.) Merrill, 'Ransom') were grown for 21 days with 1.0 mM NO3- and then exposed to solutions containing 1.0, 0.1, or 0.0 mM NO3- for a 25-day treatment period. In nitrogen-limited plants, there were decreases in emergence of new leaves and in the expansion rate and final area at full expansion of individual leaves. As indicated by alterations in accumulation of dry weight, a larger proportion of available carbon in the plant was partitioned to the roots with decreased availability of nitrogen. Partitioning of reduced nitrogen to the root also was increased and, in plants devoid of an external supply, considerable redistribution of reduced nitrogen from leaves to the root occurred. The general decrease in growth potential and sink strength for nutrients in leaves of nitrogen-limited plants suggested that factors other than simply availability of nitrogen likely were involved in the restriction of growth in the leaf canopy and the associated increase in carbon allocation to the roots.

Soybeans/growth & development/metabolism↗
NASA NTRS1986

Utilization of ammonium as a nitrogen source: effects of ambient acidity on growth and nitrogen accumulation by soybean

Dry matter accumulation of plants utilizing NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source generally is less than that of plants receiving NO3- unless acidity of the root-zone is controlled at a pH of about 6.0. To test the hypothesis that the reduction in growth is a consequence of nitrogen stress within the plant in response to effects of increased acidity during uptake of NH4+ by roots, nonnodulated soybean plants (Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv Ransom) were grown for 24 days in flowing nutrient culture containing 1.0 millimolar NH4+ as the nitrogen source. Acidities of the culture solutions were controlled at pH 6.1, 5.1, and 4.1 +/- 0.1 by automatic additions of 0.01 N H2SO4 or Ca(OH)2. Plants were sampled at intervals of 3 to 4 days for determination of dry matter and nitrogen accumulation. Rates of NH4+ uptake per gram root dry weight were calculated from these data. Net CO2 exchange rates per unit leaf area were measured on attached leaves by infrared gas analysis. When acidity of the culture solution was increased from pH 6.1 to 5.1, dry matter and nitrogen accumulation were reduced by about 40% within 14 days. Net CO2 exchange rates per unit leaf area, however, were not affected, and the decreased growth was associated with a reduction in rates of appearance and expansion of new leaves. The uptake rates of NH4+ per gram root were about 25% lower throughout the 24 days at pH 5.1 than at 6.1. A further increase in solution acidity from pH 5.1 to 4.1 resulted in cessation of net dry matter production and appearance of new leaves within 10 days. Net CO2 exchange rates per unit leaf area declined rapidly until all viable leaves had abscised by 18 days. Uptake rates of NH4+, which were initially about 50% lower at pH 4.1 than at 6.1 continued to decline with time of exposure until net uptake ceased at 10 days. Since these responses also are characteristic of the sequence of responses that occur during onset and progression of a nitrogen stress, they corroborate our hypothesis.

NASA Discipline Number 61-10↗