Seed Priming - A Novel Approach to Combat Microgravity Associated Stress Management in Plants

Chapter

Perspective Chapter: Seed Priming - A Novel Approach to Combat Microgravity Associated Stress Management in Plants

Abstract

The colonization of space presents a significant challenge due to the difficulty of cultivating crops in microgravity environments. For long-term space exploration and extraterrestrial settlements to become viable, establishing reliable methods of food production beyond Earth is critical. However, the effects of spatial factors on plant physiology-and their subsequent impact on crop yield-remain incompletely understood. Gravity is a fundamental regulator of plant development, influencing essential cellular processes such as cell division and growth. Alterations in gravitational conditions can profoundly affect both developmental pathways and physiological behaviors in plants. Notably, plant hormones exhibit differential responses to microgravity. For instance, cytokinin displays a distinct distribution pattern in microgravity, contrasting with auxin, which orchestrates directional root growth through a gravity-dependent signaling network. Emerging research has identified significant changes in gene expression under microgravity conditions, particularly in genes associated with the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative stress, carbohydrate metabolism, plant defense mechanisms, and DNA methylation (especially at the five-position of cytosine). Short-term spaceflight experiments in low-Earth orbit have demonstrated disruptions in plant redox balance, stress-related protein expression, energy and amino acid metabolism, hormonal activity, and transcriptional regulation. Intriguingly, seeds primed prior to microgravity exposure exhibit enhanced resilience to space-induced stress, suggesting a promising strategy to improve plant adaptability in extraterrestrial environments. These findings underscore the need for further research to optimize agricultural systems for space colonization.