As nations globally plan to return humans to the Moon, they face a plethora of challenges, one of which is how to feed individuals working there over extended periods. The obvious solution is for these lunar workers to grow their own food, but this raises issues, such as transporting viable soil for growing edible plants from Earth to the Moon.
Scientific Efforts to Cultivate the Moon
Last year, a team in the United States demonstrated the possibility of cultivating plants on the Moon by successfully growing a small number of weeds known as Arabidopsis thaliana in authentic lunar soil samples. This experiment proved that lunar soil could be effective, yet not sufficiently fertile for plant maturation and food production.
Recently, a team of agricultural engineers and biotechnicians from China Agricultural University discovered that adding bacteria to simulated lunar soil increases the soil’s phosphate content, making it more suitable for plant use.
In their study published in the journal “Communications Biology,” the team added three types of bacteria to volcanic material samples and tested them for acidity and plant growth support. The research found that adding microbes to lunar soil could significantly enhance its capacity to support plant life.
Three Types of Bacteria Tested
To explore the potential of microbes like bacteria in making lunar soil more hospitable for plant life, the team acquired volcanic material samples from a mountain in China. A report on “Phys.org” noted that these samples were a reasonable substitute for lunar regolith. The researchers then added one of three bacteria types – Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus mucilaginosus – to three test containers filled with volcanic materials.
After cultivating the bacteria in the soil samples, the researchers tested them to understand the effects. They found that the addition of these three bacteria types made the soil samples more acidic, lowering the pH. This led to the dissolution of insoluble phosphate-containing minerals in the soil, releasing phosphorus and making it accessible to plants.
The team then conducted a direct test on the treated soil by planting a tobacco plant called “Nicotiana benthamiana.” They discovered that the enhanced soil produced plants with stronger roots, longer stems, and larger leaves compared to untreated samples.
This groundbreaking research opens new possibilities for lunar agriculture, potentially paving the way for sustainable human presence on the Moon.
