Fresh chickpeas have been grown for the first time using simulated lunar soil, reproducing samples brought back from the Apollo missions. Assuming this work can be extended to other plant species, it is a step towards a future where Moon bases are partially self-sufficient, although those wishing to participate may be advised to adopt a vegetarian diet.
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The ability to grow food is an essential requirement for future space settlements.
The Moon doesn't have soil as we imagine it, but it does have regolith, a layer of dust and rock that should be the main medium for future colonies to grow their food. The Apollo missions brought back samples of regolith from their landing sites, along with larger pieces of rock. Two agronomists claim that terrestrial fungi and worms are the key to growing plants in this environment.
Regolith may face two obstacles to space farming: what it contains and what it lacks. The latter will be easier to address; when essential nutrients are in short supply, we can bring in supplements from Earth, but toxins pose a greater challenge.
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Jessica Atkin of Texas A&M University and Sara Oliveira Pedro dos Santos, a doctoral student at Brown University, say they have tackled both problems. They used fungi to trap heavy metals and prevent them from being absorbed by the chickpeas. For nutrients, they resorted to using vermicompost, which is the product of worm farming. They point out that the worms can feed not only on food , but also on used clothing and toiletries.
Atkin and dos Santos replicated the Apollo samples as closely as possible, creating samples with a mix of material containing anywhere from 25 to 100 percent lunar soil mimicry combined with worm castings. Half the batch was inoculated with fungi, while the rest were left to survive on their own.
The plants without the fungus died by week 10. Even with the inoculated soil, the plants in the 100% lunar soil only lived two weeks longer. However, those in the 75% lunar soil fared better, flowering despite signs of a lack of chlorophyll. More data will be collected as the experiment continues.
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The researchers chose chickpeas because of their high protein and micronutrient content, while as legumes they have a symbiotic relationship with fungi, offering space on their roots for the symbiont to grow.
Source: iflscience
