Growth and Development of Higher Plants Under Hypobaric Conditions 2002-01-2439

Plant growth experiments were conducted to study the feasibility of growing plants under hypobaric condition. Seeds of rice and Arabidopsis thaliana germinated at 25 kPa total pressure with 5 or 10 kPa O₂ partial pressures. Rice plants in vegetative stage grew normally at 50 kPa of total pressure with suitable O₂ and CO₂ partial pressures, however, their development in reproductive stage was delayed at 50 kPa total pressure. Seed production of Arabidopsis at 23 kPa total pressure with 21 kPa O₂ partial pressure was almost the same as that at atmospheric pressure.