Abstract
Rice has been selected as a CELSS candidate species for human life support in space. Research optimizing environmental parameters, such as daylength, has increased overall grain yield. Rice is a short day plant, but after floral induction, it can be switched to continuous light. Greenhouse studies of Ai-nan-tsao, a high tillering japonica cultivar, have shown that edible yield rates can be increased from 6.2 g m-2 d-1 to 14.1 g m-2 d-1 if the cultivar is switched from 8-h days to continuous light after panicle emergence. If calculated on a volume basis, those yields are 8.3 g m-3 d-1 and 20.2 g m-3 d-1, respectively. Shoot harvest index was 37% for plants grown under 8 h days, but increased to 55% for plants switched to continuous light There was a corresponding increase in non-edible biomass accumulation by the plants. Also, individual panicle weight increased from 0.54 g to 1.12 g when plants were switched to continuous light Studies are in progress with 8-h days applied for 1 or 2 weeks during a continuously illuminated vegetative growth period. This project was supported in part by NASA grant NAGW2329.
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