Project data

Funding Entity: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)

Call: 

Coordinator: Università di Napoli Federico II (Italy)

UNISI Principal Investigator: Prof. Giampiero Cai

Department: Department of Life Sciences (DSV)

Start date: 6 January 2025

End date: 31 December 2027

 

Description

The project aims to study the impact of altered gravity conditions, such as those found outside Earth’s orbit, for example on the Moon or Mars, on flower development, the pollination process, and, consequently, pollen tube growth. Since the reproductive process is fundamental to the creation of new plants, a proper reproductive mechanism is essential to ensure the survival of plants even in extraterrestrial environments. The project involves various activities, including floral analysis and development. In particular, the development of pollen grains and pollen tubes, as well as marker molecules and genes, will be analyzed. The latter will be used to monitor the health of the pollen and, consequently, the success of the reproductive process. The analyses will be carried out on pollen from commercial plants and the results obtained will therefore be applicable. These analyses should make it possible to assess which plants are best suited to altered gravity conditions and can therefore be grown in extraterrestrial environments such as the Moon or Mars.