Importance of the axial gradients of electric potentials in the life activity of plants in microgravitation conditions

Abstract

An installation that changes the unilateral action of the Earth’s gravitational field on a plant has been developed. Microgravitation is provided by simulating the weightlessness condition by rotating the vessel with the growing plants in a vertical plane with a constant slow speed (2 rpm), at which the action of centrifugal forces does not significantly affect the spatial orientation of the plants in the process of their development. Furthermore, the plants are affected by the gravitation vector from different sides, and it does not have time to adapt to the gravitation force. It is shown in terms of the KVS-701 corn hybrid that, in the conditions of microgravitation, the depolarization of the axial bioelectric polarity of the plant and depression of the gradients of the bioelectric potentials (BEP) to the values 0.1–0.2 mV/cm—under which a significant deterioration of the growth and development of the plants is observed—takes place. The restoration of the axial bioelectric polarity of the plants by the external low-energy electric potentials (LEP) to the natural level (approximately 1 mV/cm) leads to an increase of the adaptive capabilities of the grain crop to the microgravitation and restoration of the growth indicators, which is confirmed by the biometric data.