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Completed TRL 3 (started at 1, targeting 3)
Spaceflight cabin environments (ISS) typically have elevated CO2 which can affect plant growth and development. This report seeks to answer (1) Do plant roots with higher suberin content increase plant water use efficiency; (2) Can plant roots with lower suberin content produce higher biomass compared to plants with normal root suberin levels; and (3) Does growth under elevated CO2 concentrations and altered suberin content in roots have an additive effect on biomass production and mineral content?
Elevated CO2 leads to a decrease in stomatal conductance of approximately 20%, which reduces whole-plant water use, conserves soil moisture, and prevents the onset of drought stress that would otherwise reduce yields. Thus, higher CO2 can increase water use efficiency by both lowering stomatal conductance and increasing net biomass at the whole-plant scale.
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