Comparison of two methods of predicting characteristics of an organism which develops under the condition of free fall

Five morphological characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana were measured on plant populations grown under continuous centrifugation. In separate tests different g-levels were used. For each character studied a linear g-function was calculated and extrapolated to zero-g. In other tests Arabidopsis plants were grown on horizontal clinostats after which the same set of characters was measured. Growth on a clinostat might simulate growth at zero-g; but the zero-g predictions by the two methods did not agree consistently. The results were significantly different for three of the five characters for which comparisons were made. Either the extrapolation method or the clinostat method are considered unreliable as a means of predicting plant growth characteristics in the weightless environment of an earth satellite laboratory.