In a study funded by NASA, scientists from the University of Florida grow plants in soil collected from the moon, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Biology of communications.
The study is critical to NASA’s long-term goals in space exploration, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release. The study could also have implications for plants that grow in harsh conditions on Earth, he added.
“We will have to use resources found on the moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and working in deep space,” Nelson said.
In the study, researchers planted the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana – a plant associated with mustard, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower – in lunar soil taken directly from the moon by the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions.
By comparison, researchers have also planted the seeds in a lunar simulator designed to mimic true lunar soil.
Anna-Lisa Paul, a researcher in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Florida and the first author of the study, described lunar samples as “fine” and “powdery.” He also “sticks to everything,” Paul added.
The seeds began to germinate within days after planting.
“We planted them, went for a few days, and then when we first came back to look, it was amazing to see that every group of plants, all the seedlings sprouted,” said Paul, who is also director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology. research at the University of Florida.
Although all the seeds germinated, those that grew in the lunar soil did not grow as “healthy” as those in the control, according to the report. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soil samples had “stunted” roots and leaves, as well as some “reddish pigmentation”, the report said.
After the plants grew for 20 days, the researchers collected the plants and prepared to test the plant RNA. The expressed gene models correspond to the way the researchers saw Arabidopsis respond to stress previously in other harsh environments, such as when the soil carries excess salt or heavy metals, according to the report.
“Now that we have lunar soil that is in contact with biology, we can begin to ask ourselves, ‘How would you do and how difficult would it be to mitigate any of the side effects we’ve seen?'” Said Robert Fearl, assistant vice president of research at University of Florida and author of the study.
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