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Abstract EANA2025-129


How can astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) grow plant species in microgravity?

Fco. Ismael Román Moreno (1), María Isabel Rodríguez Lara (1) and Patrizia Lupo (2)
(1) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology III and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. (2) Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Humanities, University of the Valley of Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala.


Our research aims to evaluate the effect of simulated microgravity on the symbiosis between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (HMa, Glomus intraradices and G. mosseae) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Our aim is to contribute to spatial agriculture and to this end we set out to find out the feasibility of such an interspecific interaction. This experiment was previously carried out twice in 2024, in May for 15 days and in August for 27 days. Our experiment is a continuation of the previous ones, lasting 10 days, from October 31st to November 10th.

The project we have carried out is mainly supported by the clinostat, a device with which simulated microgravity is achieved, a way of reproducing the conditions of the ISS. Plant roots are subjected to H2O2 and a treatment that had not been applied in previous experiments, NaCl.

The results of our contribution have been successful because they concluded that the application of NaCl, compared to H2O2, for 10 days in simulated microgravity, favours the symbiotic colonisation of the fungus with the plant root system. NaCl is therefore a more effective stressor.

On the other hand, once the experiment was finished, we proceeded to measure the roots and, satisfactorily, all of them had increased in length compared to the initial one, which may suggest that they are prone and suitable to resist the microgravity conditions in the ISS.

Finally, we planted the beans on land to learn about their adaptability to a more tenacious gravity, as a germ of a possible scenario of terraforming and space colonisation, but unfortunately the plant species presented a higher incidence of contamination by fungal pathogens, perhaps due to a weakening of their defence mechanisms.

Keywords: simulated microgravity; symbiosis; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; vean; space agriculture.