Spectroscopic System for the Accurate Determination of [O2], [CO2], d18O-O2, and d13C-CO2 in Plant Chambers

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)nbsp;has long studied plant growth in space for environmental management and food production aboard the International Space Stationnbsp;andnbsp;future, extraplanetarynbsp;human colonies.nbsp; These studies have shown that microgravity impedesnbsp;plant growth in a variety of ways, and NASA actively seeks new technologies to measure plant health in space as a function of externally controlled variables.nbsp; In this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, Nikira Labs Inc. and Colorado Statenbsp;Universitynbsp;(CSU) willnbsp;collaborate to develop an analyzer that measures oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen isotope (d18O-O2), and carbon isotope (d13C-CO2) fluxesnbsp;in plant chambers for direct quantification ofnbsp;photosynthesis, respiration, and plant health.nbsp;nbsp;Innbsp;Phase I, Nikira Labs willnbsp;develop and test a prototype analyzer to measure these key gases and their isotopes.nbsp; After extensive laboratory testing to empirically determine its analytical performance, the unit will be deployednbsp;at Colorado State University to studynbsp;gas fluxes from plant chambers.nbsp; These plants will be subject to various stressorsnbsp;and the measured quantities will be directly correlated to an independent measure of photosynthetic efficiencynbsp;to evaluate the STTR analyzers application for plant health monitoring.nbsp; Finally, the Phase I results will be used to develop a Phase II instrument for application and delivery to NASA.nbsp;