Abstract
Abstract It is a pleasure to be introducing this symposium to provide an appreciation of the real interest that NASA has in using plant systems for life support in space. The symposium is directed toward providing details on what is planned, and what is actually underway, in this effort. It is a program that has been titled CELSS, Controlled Ecological Life Support System, and involves a tremendous breadth of horticultural areas—areas that can require the expertise of nearly everyone in horticulture, as suggested in Fig. 1. The project must start with plant propagation, probably tissue culture propagation, and involve all aspects of environmental optimization of growth, breeding of adapted cultivars, nutrient, possibly nutrient film, feeding techniques (NFT) and automated nutrient recycling, contaminant control in the atmosphere, pathogen control in the nutrient solution, precise growth modeling for regulation of the system, maximization of harvest index to reduce inedible portions, efficient food processing, balanced diets, and complete recycling of all wastes. The expertise of all types of horticulturists is needeed if this project of NASA is to be successful.
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