Plants are vital components of our ecosystem for a balanced life here on Earth, as
a source of both food and oxygen for survival. Recent space exploration has extended
the field of plant biology, allowing for future studies on life support farming on
distant planets. This exploration will utilize life support technologies for long-term
human space flights and settlements. Such longer space missions will depend on the
supply of clean air, food, and proper waste management. The ubiquitous force of gravity
is known to impact plant growth and development. Despite this, we still have limited
knowledge about how plants can sense and adapt to microgravity in space. Thus, the
ability of plants to survive in microgravity in space settings becomes an intriguing
topic to be investigated in detail. The new knowledge could be applied to provide
food for astronaut missions to space and could also teach us more about how plants
can adapt to unique environments. Here, we briefly review and discuss the current
knowledge about plant gravity-sensing mechanisms and the experimental possibilities
to research microgravity-effects on plants either on the Earth or in orbit.
