what happens when watermelons are grown in space?

[gooddog15]

I've been wondering about this since I chopped up a watermelon a few days ago that I had named Larry (yes, its a true story)

so what would happen if we grew a watermelon in space?

would it get bigger or smaller from being in zero g?

what else would happen to it?

I have absolutely no idea, as this is not in my field of knowledge.

Edited August 4, 2014 by gooddog15

[Skyler4856]

It may form a shape more spherical than oblong

[SelectHalfling0]

It may form a shape more spherical than oblong

You are correct. Gravity drags the melon down, therefore causing it to become oblong. In space, however, the watermelon would probably grow into a very irregular, semi-spherical shape.

[Streetwind]

It may possibly grow larger as well.

Growing food for human consumption is currently being researched on the ISS, athough they're using a kind of lettuce for starters and not a large fruit. Still, it will be the first time in history that human beings will actually consume something grown in zero-g.

(After it went through a few generations of being sent back to earth for analysis, of course.)

[lajoswinkler]

Unless the lack of acceleration doesn't screw up with embriogenesis (maybe watermelons are susceptible to it, we don't know), it should probably grow more or less the same. Genes play a larger role here.

Microgravity might mess things up, though. We simply can't tell.

[Skyler4856]

Unless the lack of acceleration doesn't screw up with embriogenesis (maybe watermelons are susceptible to it, we don't know), it should probably grow more or less the same. Genes play a larger role here.

Microgravity might mess things up, though. We simply can't tell.

Maybe, however I suspect environmental elements are at play, for example

What I see here is an example of force based distortion, so perhaps we might see the oblong shape disappear as the distorting force disappears

[Z-Man]

Our watermelons here are mostly spherical without being grown in zero gravity. The oblong ones you know must be a different kind, they would likely still be oblong when grown in space.

[rtxoff]

Japanese farmers like to make em squared

http://www.whataboutwatermelon.com/index.php/2009/07/how-and-why-square-watermelons-are-made/

[lajoswinkler]

Maybe, however I suspect environmental elements are at play, for example

What I see here is an example of force based distortion, so perhaps we might see the oblong shape disappear as the distorting force disappears

That's putting a watermelon inside a steel cage. It's very invasive, mechanical. The plants must grow in a square shape simply because there's no room to grow in a spheroid shape. It has nothing to to with what we're discussing.

Gravity does not play a large role in the formation of watermellons. If it did, watermellons would grow in the shape of oblate spheroids.

Instead, most of more spheroidal shapes are prolate spheroids.

The cause of the shape is basically genetic.

[rtxoff]

You could also grow them inside a steel cage in space.

[TarkinLarson]

Would all the liquid and nutrients needed for the fruit and plants flow in the correct way? I guess osmosis would work exactly the same, from and to areas of different concentrations. I guess there would be no 'up or down' for the plant except the direction of light, but I have a feeling that genes would dictate that things would grow in the right places though.

I've never seen a watermelon grow over time. What shape are they when they are newly developed. Does this change with time? Do they start out spheres and then change to oblongs? Or the other way around?

[lajoswinkler]

Would all the liquid and nutrients needed for the fruit and plants flow in the correct way? I guess osmosis would work exactly the same, from and to areas of different concentrations. I guess there would be no 'up or down' for the plant except the direction of light, but I have a feeling that genes would dictate that things would grow in the right places though.

I've never seen a watermelon grow over time. What shape are they when they are newly developed. Does this change with time? Do they start out spheres and then change to oblongs? Or the other way around?

If the basic morphology turns out right after the fertilization, then yes. Water in watermelon does not require gravity to move around, you're correct.

Baby watermelons are spheroids, shape depends on the variety.

Baby watermelons... what a cute phrase.

[ThinkOutsideTheHangar]

Since there is no gravityG-forces in space, the water flowing up the stem would not be pulled down. Bigger, juicer watermelons? Better than shmeat.

[lajoswinkler]

Since there is no gravityG-forces in space, the water flowing up the stem would not be pulled down. Bigger, juicer watermelons? Better than shmeat.

Weight of the water doesn't play a significant role in watermelons. They're short, basically ground crawling vines. Capillary forces alone are sufficient to hydrate the whole tissue.

[ZetaX]

Was searching a bit on this and it turns out that plants grow pretty well in space, as they orient more on the sun than on gravity, but nobody tried watermelons so far.

But when searching for that I also found http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/aquatic.html and am now wondering why the fish are oriented the same despite no gravity... http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_3/issue_4/0362.pdf suggests an orientation towards the light source. Thus plants and fish might be not that different there