Growing chickpeas on 'moon soil': Scientific breakthrough that could change astronauts' diets

Harvesting food on the Moon is one of the great challenges of space exploration.A new study shows that this legume can grow and produce seeds in a mixture with artificial lunar regolith when organic matter and beneficial fungi are added.The discovery opens new avenues for developing agricultural systems on future lunar bases.

Growing chickpeas on 'moon soil': Scientific breakthrough that could revolutionize food for astronauts

Harvesting food on the moon is one of the great challenges of space exploration.A new study shows that these legumes can be grown in a mixture with artificial moon rocks and produce seeds, to which organic matter and beneficial fungi can be added.This discovery opens up new ways to develop agricultural systems on future moon bases.

The research team was able to plant and harvest chickpeas in mixtures containing an analogue of lunar regolith, a material that replicates the composition of the Moon's surface.

For the study, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin (United States) in collaboration with Texas A&M University, selected the ‘Myles’ chickpea variety.This type of bean is valued for its compact size and robustness, facilitating agricultural production in environments with limited space, such as those expected on missions to the Moon.

Research has shown that with sufficient biological support, some plants can be grown in extraterrestrial soil; this is an important step for future space agriculture.

"The biggest challenge is that lunar regolith isn't really soil. It's crushed rock with no organic matter or living microbes. By adding organic material and beneficial fungi, we're starting to introduce elements that make soil work on Earth," lead study author Sarah Santos of the University of Texas Geophysics Institute told SINC.

The work, carried out by researchers from the University of Texas, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.The results come at the same time as NASA prepares to return astronauts to the moon with the Artemis II program.

"The question is how we transform the regolith into soil capable of supporting plants and what natural mechanisms facilitate this conversion", said the expert.

From regolith to arable land

Lunar regolith is a technical term to describe the material covering the lunar surface.Unlike Earth's soil, it is composed mostly of crushed rock and lacks the organic matter and microorganisms that support plant life.Although it contains minerals beneficial for plant growth, it can also contain potentially toxic metals.

"Overall, plants were smaller and grew more slowly in the regolith mix, suggesting that the environment was still stressful for them," Santos said."But the fact that they were able to grow and produce seeds shows that plants can adapt when they have the right biological support."

To reproduce these conditions in the laboratory, the team used a rock analog made by Exolith Lab. This material mimics the chemistry of samples taken by Apollo astronauts.

To create the ideal environment for growth, the researchers added vermicompost, a fertilizer produced by red worms that is nutritious and contains a diverse microbiome.This material is produced from natural waste that would otherwise be disposed of during a mission, such as food scraps or cotton fabric, making it a sustainable resource for space environments.

Artist's impression of the lunar base and facilities for growing plants, useful for illustrating the idea of ​​agriculture on the Moon./ That

Help from hub

Before planting the seeds, the team covered the chickens with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), organisms that form symbiotic relationships with the roots of many plants.These fungi help absorb nutrients and water from the soil and can reduce the accumulation of heavy metals in plant tissues.

"Arbuscular mycorrhizae could play an important role in future space agriculture because they naturally help plant roots to access nutrients and water and reduce metal absorption," said Santos."The risk is relatively low because these fungi are beneficial and not pathogenic, but any biological system must be carefully managed to maintain the microbial balance and avoid unnecessary changes in the system."

After that, the scientists put chickpeas in different mixtures of this regolith simulation and vermicompost to test the proportions that allow the plants to grow.

The results showed that mixtures with 75% sorghum can produce harvestable chickpeas.However, higher ratios caused significant plant decline, which showed slow growth, physiological stress, and premature death.

Plants treated with fungi lived longer than plants without this support, demonstrating the importance of AMF for plant health.In addition, the researchers found that fungi can colonize and be active in artificial lunar regeneration, which they believe would only need to be introduced into a lunar farming system.

Plants grown in the lunar ash emission program of the left volcano compared to plants grown in the right lunar soil./ UF / IFAS by Tyler Jones

Is it safe to eat?

Although experiments show that it is possible to grow chickens in an atmosphere like the moon, there are still important questions to be answered.One of them is whether crops will be safe and nutritious for astronauts.

"An important part of this research is to ensure that the crops are safe for human consumption. To do this, we analyze the seeds to determine their nutrient and metal content and compare the results with food safety standards," emphasizes the researcher.

"We want to understand how healthy their potential as a food source is," said researcher Jessica Atkin, first author of the study and a PhD candidate in soil science at Texas A&M.

"We tested different types of chickpeas with colleagues from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify the types that work best in the regolith. In addition, with funding from NASA, we are now doing several plantings to learn how to improve the system for sustainable food production," said Santos.

scientists now plan to analyze the nutritional, chemical and organoleptic composition of the seeds, as well as study plants over several generations to determine whether regolith-based agricultural systems can support long-term food production on the Moon.

Reference: Atkin, J. et al."Bioremediation of a lunar regolith simulator using mycorrhizal fungi and plant symbiosis makes chickpeas visible."Scientific reports.