Task Progress:
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Our central hypothesis is that real-time data collected on the phytohormone levels in plants can be used to determine the fundamental ways plants interact with microclimatic conditions associated with living in space. The expected deliverables of this research are the development of technology and a dataset that could then be used to monitor plant responses and identify the most productive growing conditions in space. In this regard, we have made the following progress and accomplishments during the reporting period.
We have developed an electrochemical sensor for monitoring the levels of salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in the plant stem. The sensor design is devised considering that cowpea possesses a dicot stem, leading to the arrangement of vascular bundles along the periphery. Also, the diameter of cowpea plants ranges from 5mm to 10mm. Consequently, the active region of the sensor penetrates through the vascular bundle, leaving the remaining portion accessible for signal acquisition. The sensor was calibrated for the entire concentration range of SA and ABA typically found in plants. Like animals, plants produce hormones as signaling molecules to control various growth processes. SA and ABA are two primary stress hormones in plants. Progressive variations in their levels have been reported in many drought, salt, and cold/heat-stressed plants.
We have tested the sensors in a growth chamber facility in June 2024 and a greenhouse in November 2024. Cowpea plants were grown under controlled conditions in coir pith, hydroponic solutions, and a mixture of peat and perlite media. We used a completely randomized design, with 3 replications used for each treatment. We observed that plants grown in hydroponics had the highest assimilation, transpiration, stomatal conductance, and CO2 concentration, which indicates high water use. In contrast, plants grown in the peat perlite media demonstrated the lowest levels for these parameters, thus indicating water stress. Meanwhile, plants grown in coir pith media displayed intermediate values for these metrics. These results strongly support our sensor measurements. It was noted that the plants grown in the peat perlite media exhibited the highest concentrations of both SA and ABA, with SA concentration reaching upto 8.1 µM and ABA concentration reaching upto 28 µM, indicating a water stress scenario. In contrast, the plants grown in the hydroponic solution exhibited the lowest concentrations of both SA and ABA, with SA and ABA concentrations peaking 0.195 µM and 4.65 µM, respectively, indicating sufficient water use by the plants. Meanwhile, plants grown in coir pith media displayed intermediate concentrations for both the hormones, which indicates moderate stress. The above and below-ground plant biomass data further corroborates the plant physiological traits and hormonal responses.
Our immediate research plan includes the following:
• Complete statistical analysis correlating plant physiological traits with the hormonal responses. • Complete validating the SA and ABA measurements with the sensors against the values obtained from high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Pali M, Islam MN, Poudyal C, Wheeler W, Rajan N, Tabassum S. "SMART-PH: Sensing Modality to Assist Real-time Tracking of Plant Health in spaceflight-like conditions." 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 3-7, 2024. Abstracts. 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 3-7, 2024. , Dec-2024
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Poudyal C, Wheeler W, Pali M, Islam MN, Tabassum S, Rajan N. "Exploring the phytohormonal responses of plants for space agriculture ising in situ sensor technology." CANVAS 2025 (ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting), San Antonio, TX, November 10-13, 2024. Abstracts. CANVAS 2025 (ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting), San Antonio, TX, November 10-13, 2024. , Nov-2024
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Abstracts for Journals and Proceedings
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Poudyal C, Wheeler W, Pali M, Islam MN, Tabassum S, Rajan N. "Real-time monitoring of plant stress hormones for extra-terrestrial agriculture." Data Science Space Week: From Earth to Mars, Observations in Biological and Physical Sciences, College Station, TX, April 1-5, 2024. Abstracts. Data Science Space Week: From Earth to Mars, Observations in Biological and Physical Sciences, College Station, TX, April 1-5, 2024. , Apr-2024
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