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2025 Vol.34, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original Articles

Effects of Pressure on Kale Growth in Sealed Environments

밀폐공간 내 압력이 케일의 생육에 미치는 영향

Jeong-In Choi1
,
Jung-Hoo Kook1
,
Sang-Min Kim1
,
Oluwasegun Moses Ogundele2
,
Hyeon-Tae Kim3*
최 정인1
,
국 중후1
,
김 상민1
,
오군델레 올루와세군 모세스2
,
김 현태3*
1Graduate Student, Department of Smart Farm, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea
2Graduate Student, Department of Bio-systems Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea
3Professor, Department of Bio-industrial Machinery Engineering, Gyeongsang National University (Institute of Smart Space Sensing(ISSA)), Jinju, 52828, Republic of Korea
1경상국립대학교 스마트팜학과 대학원생
2경상국립대학교 바이오시스템공학과 대학원생
3경상국립대학교 생물산업기계공학과 교수
*Corresponding Author
31 October 2025. pp. 574-581
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Abstract

Growing interest in long-duration space missions and extraterrestrial colonization has driven the development of reliable space agriculture systems essential for sustaining life during these missions. However, the effects of environmental stressors such as low atmospheric pressure on plant growth have not yet been fully elucidated, which is crucial for the design of bioregenerative life support systems. This study investigated the growth responses of kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) under different pressure conditions (101.3, 67, and 33.0 kPa) in a closed environment, simulating potential extraterrestrial habitats. Two weeks after germination, kale plants were cultivated in custom-made acrylic pressure chambers for 19 days. Water (20 mL) was supplied on days 1 and 9. Leaf length, leaf width, and chlorophyll content were measured on days 1, 9, and 19. No significant differences were observed among the groups on day 1 (p > 0.05). However, by day 9, significant increases in leaf growth were observed in groups A (101.3 kPa) and B (67 kPa), with group B showing temporary enhancement of leaf growth (p < 0.05). By day 19, group A exhibited the highest growth rates for all parameters (leaf length 44.72 ± 2.74 mm, leaf width 39.19 ± 5.99 mm), while group B maintained relatively high growth, and group C (33 kPa) displayed the lowest growth rates, indicating a tendency for growth inhibition under prolonged hypobaric conditions. Chlorophyll content (SPAD values) increased during the early stages, with the highest values recorded in group C, suggesting that low pressure may temporarily stimulate chlorophyll preservation and accumulation. However, by day 19, chlorophyll content decreased across all groups, indicating challenges in maintaining photosynthetic capacity over the long term. These findings suggest that while low-pressure environments may initially promote physiological activity, they ultimately lead to growth inhibition. This study highlights the importance of maintaining appropriate pressure levels for space-based crop cultivation and provides foundational data for designing bioregenerative life support systems.

Keywords
environmental control system
low pressure
plant stress
sealed chambers
space farming

장기 우주 임무와 우주 농업에 대한 관심이 커짐에 따라 이러한 임무 중 생명 유지에 필수적인 신뢰성 높은 우주 농업 시스템의 개발이 요구되고 있다. 그러나 저기압과 같은 환경 스트레스 요인이 식물 생장에 미치는 영향은 아직 완전히 규명되지 않았으며 이는 생물재생 생명 유지 시스템 설계의 있어 핵심적인 기초자료가 된다. 본 연구에서는 밀폐된 환경에서 서로 다른 기압 조건(101.3, 67, 33kPa)에서 케일(Brassica oleracea var. acephala)의 생장 반응을 정량적으로 분석하였다. 발아 2주 후 맞춤형 아크릴 압력 챔버에서 19일간 재배되었으며 1일차와 9일차에는 물(20mL)을 공급하였다. 엽장, 엽폭, 엽록소 함량은 1, 9, 19일차에 측정되었다. 1일차에는 유의한 차이가 없었지만(p > 0.05), 9일차에는 A 그룹(101.3kPa)과 B 그룹(67kPa)에서 유의미한 생장 증진이 나타났고 특히 B 그룹에서 일시적 생장 향상이 관찰되었다(p <0.05). 19일차에는 A 그룹이 가장 높은 생장을 보였으며(잎 길이 44.72 ± 2.74mm, 잎 폭 39.19 ± 5.99mm), B 그룹은 비교적 높은 생장을 유지하였고 C 그룹(33kPa)은 가장 낮은 생장을 보였다. 엽록소 함량(SPAD)은 초기에는 증가하였고 특히 C 그룹에서 가장 높은 수치가 관찰되어 저기압이 엽록소 생합성 또는 유지 기작을 일시적으로 활성화할 수 있음을 시사하였다. 그러나 19일차에는 모든 그룹에서 엽록소 함량이 감소하며 장기적으로 광합성 능력을 유지하는 데 어려움이 있음을 확인하였다. 이러한 결과는 저기압 환경이 초기에는 생리 활성을 자극할 수 있지만, 궁극적으로는 생장을 억제할 수 있음을 보여준다. 본 연구는 향후 우주 기반 폐쇄형 재배 시스템의 기압 설정 및 생명 유지 시스템 설계의 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있을것이다.

키워드
밀폐 챔버
식물스트레스
우주농업
저기압 환경
환경 제어 시스템
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society for Bio-Environment Control
  • Publisher(Ko) :(사)한국생물환경조절학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Bio-Environment Control
  • Journal Title(Ko) :생물환경조절학회지
  • Volume : 34
  • No :4
  • Pages :574-581
  • Received Date : 2025-06-19
  • Revised Date : 2025-10-28
  • Accepted Date : 2025-10-29
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.12791/KSBEC.2025.34.4.574
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