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Performance of Male-Sterile Dwarf Arabidopsis Mutants in EMCS and PGF Flight Hardware and Ground Study Experiments. R. N. Bowman1, A. Maldonado2, C. H. Blackford3, and G. Heyenga4.  1Lockheed Martin Space Operations, M/S 236-5, 2Baseline Engineering, M/S 236-5, 3Science and Technology Corp., M/S 239-23, 4BioServe Space Technologies, M/S 239-23, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035.

   Plant growth systems intended for spaceflight experiments are highly constrained for in-flight resources, especially spatial volume and power.  Existing flight hardware such as the European Modular Cultivation System (EMCS) and the Plant Growth Facility (PGF) feature miniaturized experiment chambers capable of supporting automated and highly controlled growth parameters.  Conventional plant cultivars integral to Arabidopsis research will not fit in the limited volume of existing hardware platforms.  As a consequence of this limited space, current Arabidopsis experiments study seedling or early rosette stages.  This paper describes the performance of a newly developed dwarf Arabidopsis strain capable of producing seeds (seed-to-seed experiments) in the limited volume of the EMCS or a miniaturized PGF.  Embedded in the background of the dwarf strain are genetic male-sterile mutations that suppress self-pollination and resultant reproductive effort associated with normal seed and fruit development.  Deployment of controlled male sterility with phenotypic markers provides an easy opportunity for pollen competition studies in a self-compatible species such as Arabidopsis. Growth performance data will be presented, contrasting vegetative vs. reproductive effort of Arabidopsis plants grown in very highly controlled environments that could be utilized in spaceflight experiments.