Sustained space travel and colonization will depend on the ability to grow food in extra-terrestrial environments. The fact that plants evolved on earth with cues from gravity, photoperiod, barometric pressure and other signals means that plants growing on space stations or other planets will face unique stresses, never previously encountered. Add to this the challenges of watering plants in microgravity, a dependence on artificial lighting, and limited access to crop protection and fertilization strategies, and the ability to produce crops in space is a realistic limiter of long-term human colonization of space. Dr. Anna-Lisa Paul has studied plant biology in space and in extreme earth environments to learn about how plants adapt to these challenges, and even how humans might have to adapt to care for them.

Twitter: @UF_Space_Plants
Dr. Paul in other media:

* UF Space Plants Lab: https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/spaceplantslab/
* TEDxUF speaker, April 6th, 2019 – “Humans are explorers––go boldly”
* Women in Science Instagram story for Friday, Feb. 9th, 2018, ahead of the UN’s Women and Girls in Science Day. : https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/962796712241672192
* NPR Science Friday. For premier of “The Martian”; how real space plant biology is getting us closer to the goal of other planets https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/plants-in-space/

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The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.

The Challenges of Growing Plants in Space