Cotton Goes Out of This World

Three research projects related to cotton sustainability have been chosen as winners of the International Space Station Cotton Sustainability Challenge program, sponsored by Target and supported by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASS).

Each project will receive up to a million dollars in funding, supported by Target, which has committed to sourcing 100% sustainable cotton by 2022. Through a collaboration between CASS and NASA, the three projects will be implemented at the International Space Station:

• A research study by Marshall Moutenot of Upstream Tech in Alameda, CA will work on field scale, aggregated best management practice verification and monitoring. Upstream has developed machine learning tools to acquire data from satellites, and this capability will be used to monitor cotton agriculture practices, which will help Target and other companies meet their cotton sustainability goals.
• A project led by Christopher Saski of Clemson University will utilize gene sequencing tools to investigate gene expression and genome sequences of three cotton cultivars. In zero gravity, information obtained on the process of regeneration will provide good fundamental knowledge and may help with better growing cotton under stressed conditions.
• Research led by Simon Gilroy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison will focus on cotton roots as part of the space station project, as resistance to stresses such as drought are somewhat related to the root system. The space laboratory will provide opportunities to learn about the environmental factors and the genes that control root growth in zero gravity.

These studies will not only benefit cotton agriculture, but the fundamental knowledge could lead to additional advances in agriculture. There is a growing need to feed the increasing population, especially parts of the world, such as India, where land space is limited.