current newsUnited States of America – For any astronaut hoping to survive on the lunar surface, starting to grow crops will be of paramount importance.
Reported from Dailymail.co.ukon May 20, now, scientists have taken ‘one small step’ to grow plants on the lunar surface, after demonstrating the possibility of growing lettuce plants on lunar soil, even though the process is done on Earth.
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Researchers from the University of Florida planted the plants in soil collected by NASA during the previous Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions.
The findings raise hopes that crops could be planted on the moon during future space missions, and may even allow humanity to establish lunar colonies.
“For longer and future space missions, we can use the Moon as a hub or launch pad,” explains Professor Rob Ferl, one of the study’s authors.
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“It makes sense that we would want to use the land that is already there to grow crops.”
While previous research has cleaned plants with lunar soil (also known as regolith) to test for pathogens, until now, scientists had not grown plants in soil.
“So, what happens when you grow plants in lunar soil, something that is completely outside the experience of plant evolution? What will the plants do in the moon greenhouse? Can we have a moon farmer?” Professor Ferl asked.
To answer this question, the team started planting thale lettuce seeds in lunar soil, added water, nutrients, and light, and saw what happened.
However, the team only had 12 grams of lunar soil on loan from NASA to do this, meaning they had to carry out the experiment in thimble-sized wells, not full-sized pots.
The researchers chose to use thale lettuce (Arabidopsis thaliana) because its genetic code has been completely mapped.
In comparison, the researchers also planted seeds in a variety of terrestrial soils, including one simulating Martian soil.
To their delight, the researchers found that almost all of the seeds had germinated.
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“We are amazed. We didn’t predict that,” said Professor Anna-Lisa Paul, one of the study’s authors.
“That tells us that lunar soil does not interfere with hormones and signals involved in plant germination.”
However, the team observed differences between plants growing in lunar soil, and those growing in control soil.
Some plants that grow in lunar soil are smaller, while others grow more slowly or vary in size.
This suggests that plants must work to overcome the chemical and structural makeup of the lunar regolith, according to Professor Paul.
This finding was confirmed in a follow-up study looking at plant gene expression patterns.
“At the genetic level, plants secrete tools normally used to deal with stressors, such as salt and metals or oxidative stress, so we can conclude that plants perceive the lunar soil environment as stressful,” Professor Paul explains.
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“Ultimately, we want to use gene expression data to help address how we can improve stress responses to levels where plants, especially plants that can grow in lunar soil with very little impact on their health.”
Planting plants in lunar soil can also change the moon itself, according to Dr Stephen Elardo, who collaborated on the research.
“The moon is a very, very dry place,” he said.
“How do the minerals in the lunar soil respond to the plants growing in it, with added water and nutrients? Would adding water make mineralogy more friendly to plants?”
The researchers hope to answer these questions in follow-up studies.
The study was conducted as NASA’s Artemis Program began, with the goal of sending humans back to the Moon by 2025.
“Artemis will need a better understanding of how to grow plants in space,” Professor Ferl concluded.
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