ACCELERATING SEED GERMINATION AND PLANT GROWTH THROUGH MANIPULATING OF ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IN ENCLOSED ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBERS

SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTENED TIME TO GERMINATE SEEDS, IMPROVED RATE OF GROWTH OF YOUNG PLANTS, MORE MASSIVE AND RAPID ROOT GROWTH WITH RESULTANT GREATER DRY WEIGHT IS ACHIEVED BY SUBJECTING SEEDS AND PLANT SPECIMENS TO FREQUENT CHANGES IN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. THESE PRESSURE CHANGES ARE WITHIN THERANGE OF ATMOSPHERIC BAROMETRIC VARIATIONS. ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBERS OF RELATIVELY SIMPLE CONSTRUCTION WITH AIR EXPELLEDAND INGESTED BY A VACUUM TURBINE CREATES THE REQUIRED PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS FOR ACCELERATED GROWTH. THIS IS A NEW METHOD FOR FASTER GERMINATION OF SEEDS, AND POSSIBLY CONDITIONING PRIOR TO PLANTING. IT IS A NEW CONCEPT FOR INTENSIVE CULTIVATION FOR A GIVEN AREA. SUCH A TECHNIQUE COUPLED WITH CONTROL OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS IS EXPECTED TO REDUCE SOME CROP CYCLE TIMES, IMPROVE ROOT DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVE OVERALL GROWING SPACE. ONCE INTEGRATED INTO A WORKING PROCEDURE, THE NASA CONTROLLED ECOLOGICAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM (CELSS) SHOULD BENEFIT MEASURABLY.