Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) holds the Guinness World Record for being the first plant to flower in space.
Thale cress is a tiny flowering plant with a 40-day life-cycle, making it ideal for space research.
Recent experiments on the International Space Station have focused on optimizing growth conditions and identifying plants that can withstand long-duration spaceflight.
Gravity plays a crucial role in plant growth, and studies have examined the effects of microgravity on plants.
Special chambers are used in space to control and manipulate factors like temperature, humidity, nutrients, water, oxygen, CO2, and light wavelengths for plant growth.
Other plants grown in space include romaine lettuce, courgette, sunflower, broccoli, and wheat.