Soil on moon and Mars likely to support crops



by Staff Writers



Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 16, 2019



Researchers at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands have produced crops in Mars and Moon soil simulant developed by NASA. The research supports the idea that it would not only be possible to grow food on Mars and the Moon to feed future settlers, but also to obtain viable seed from crops grown there.

Wieger Wamelink and his colleagues at Wageningen University and Research, cultivated ten different crops: garden cress, rocket, tomato, radish, rye, quinoa, spinach, chives, peas and leek. The researchers simulated the properties of Lunar and Martian regolith and "normal" soil (potting soil from Earth) as a control.

Nine of the ten crops sown grew well and edible parts were harvested from them. Spinach was the exception. Total biomass production per tray was the highest for the Earth control and Mars soil simulant that differed significantly from Moon soil simulant. The seeds produced by three species (radish, rye and garden cress) were tested successfully for germination.

The article, "Crop growth and viability of seeds on Mars and Moon soil simulants", by Wieger Wamelink and colleagues has been published in De Gruyter's open access journal, Open Agriculture.

"We were thrilled when we saw the first tomatoes ever grown on Mars soil simulant turning red. It meant that the next step towards a sustainable closed agricultural ecosystem had been taken," said Wieger Wamelink.

Research paper



Related Links

De Gruyter

Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News





Thanks for being there;

We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.



With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.



Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.



If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter

$5+ Billed Monthly



Option 1 : $5.00 USD - monthly Option 2 : $10.00 USD - monthly Option 3 : $15.00 USD - monthly Option 4 : $20.00 USD - monthly Option 5 : $25.00 USD - monthly Option 6 : $50.00 USD - monthly Option 7 : $100.00 USD - monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor

$5 Billed Once





credit card or paypal



Moscow (AFP) Oct 9, 2019

