Key Highlights:
- Lunar soils don’t have a lot of the nutrients that are needed to support plant growth.
- Plants in regolith grow slower with stunted roots and leaves, and some red spots by the end of the first week. The later genetic analysis would confirm the greens were under stress.
- There are properties of Lunar regolith such as it is fine-grained and powdery and these fine grains are with sharp edges. These properties make it difficult for plants to breathe in lunar dust as it damages the lungs and isn’t hospitable for them as well.
With the increase in the frequency of visits to the moon and advancements in technology, there are endless possibilities for new discoveries. In the coming years, when NASA sends Artemis astronauts back to the surface of the moon, they surely will be able to grow their own plants. There are historical experiments where scientists have successfully grown plants with samples of lunar surface material called regolith. A half-century ago, when astronauts collected regolith on three different during their Apollo mission. The scientists deposited seeds of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which is related to mustard greens in tiny samples of the lunar regolith and raised concerns about plant growth on moon.
Plants In Regolith Grow Slower
During a press conference, Stephen Elardo from the University of Florida said, “Lunar soils don’t have a lot of the nutrients that are needed to support plant growth.” On 12 May, Elardo along with Anna-Lisa Paul and Robert Ferl presented the research published in the journal Communications Biology.
Paul, a professor in Horticultural Sciences at the University of Florida, stated, “After two days, they started to sprout!” “Everything sprouted. I can’t tell you how astonished we were! Every plant — whether in a lunar sample or a control — looked the same up until about day six.” Plants in regolith grow slower with stunted roots and leaves, and some red spots by the end of the first week. The later genetic analysis would confirm the greens were under stress.
Plant Growth on Moon
There are properties of Lunar regolith such as it is fine-grained and powdery and these fine grains are with sharp edges. These properties make it difficult for plants to breathe in lunar dust as it damages the lungs and isn’t hospitable for them as well. Paul added, “Ultimately, we would like to use the gene expression data to help address how we can ameliorate the stress responses to the level where plants — particularly crops — are able to grow in lunar soil with very little impact on their health.”
Ferl states, “Growing plants on the moon is the key to a long-term stay on the moon by helping provide not just food but also clean air and water for astronauts and other visitors.” Further, Ferl adds, “When we go to space somewhere, we always take our agriculture with us.” “Showing plants will grow in the lunar soil is actually a huge step in that direction.”
