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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Current plant growth technology systems aboard the ISS (Veggie Production System (Veggie) and Advanced Plant Habitat) intermittently supply the crew with fresh produce. Seeds utilized in both of these environments typically are surface sanitized and affixed pre-flight with no means for the crew to replant seeds if necessary. The VEG-03J plant growth experiment demonstrated a seed film technology which allowed the crew full control over seed placement and experiment initiation. As a follow up to VEG-03J, our study aimed to combine the concept of this seed film technology with the introduction of plant growth-promoting microbes. Seed film coupons containing ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce seeds were planted and grown for 28 days. A portion of these coupons were inoculated with either Burkholderia contaminans (B. contaminans), Pantoea agglomerans (P. agglomerans), or Pseudomonas fulva (P. fulva). The goals of this study were to determine the effect of these specific plant growth promoting microbes on the structure of the seed film as well their effect on the mature harvested biomass.
All seeds used in spaceflight crop experiments are currently surface-sanitized as a safety measure to prevent pathogen proliferation and potential contamination within the crew environment. Successful application of this sanitization method results in the removal of both pathogenic and native microbes from the seed surface. Studies have shown that inoculation of seeds with Plant Growth Promoting Microbes (PGPM) can confer many beneficial effects including increased yield, decreased resource consumption, resistance to various stressors, and decreased pathogen infection rate.
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