Researchers have shown that potatoes can grow in moon dust-equivalent conditions in a preprint posted on bioRxiv. The researchers used recreated lunar regolith, the powdery dust layer on the moon’s surface, from NASA and Exolith Lab.
However, real lunar regolith is missing the organic matter plants need to grow, so the scientists added vermicompost, organic waste from worms, into their dust mixture. They grew potatoes in mixtures with 0%, 15% and 30% compost, finding that the potatoes grown with a 30% compost mixture were “virtually indistinguishable from controls.”
Signs of stress in the DNA
After approximately two months, the team harvested the potatoes, freeze-dried them and ground them up for further testing. The scientists found that stress-related genes in the potatoes’ DNA had been activated. The potatoes also had slightly higher concentrations of copper and zinc, although their nutritional value was similar to that of regular potatoes.
Plants grown in a lunar highland simulant were so stunted that they did not produce leaves for samples and took about 24 days to emerge, compared to the four to eight days seen in potatoes grown in other simulants. The scientists hypothesized that copper toxicity from the fertilizer interacting with the regolith, sharp micro-particles abrading roots or poor drainage could have caused the issue.
Lunar agriculture as a long-term strategy
The scientists present lunar agriculture as a long-term strategy. In the early stages of a lunar habitat, when organic material is scarce, agriculture will be more difficult. As biological waste accumulates, the practice will improve.
While the study provides interesting data about the possibility of growing potatoes on the moon, there are other challenges involved, including radiation and the vacuum of space.
Future NASA plans to travel to the moon could allow scientists to test plants in actual lunar soil instead of the simulated mixture. In the meantime, the team is performing further research to determine which varieties of potatoes grow best in the soil mixture.
