CornCorn-beans-squashsquash. Those who garden a bit are certainly familiar with this Native American cultivation technique that involves associating several completely different plant species that will then grow in symbiosis, each benefiting from the other. While this practice is often implemented in small family vegetable gardens, it could also be used in future gardens… on Mars!
Establishing Martian Agriculture!
In view of human exploration of the Red Planet, researchers are indeed trying to solve the thorny issue of food. It is impossible to import all the necessary resources for a stay of several months or even years. The solution would be to grow vegetables directly on site. However, the Martian regolith, acidic and poor in nutrientsnutrients, may not be conducive to cultivation! How then to make the most of these limited resources?
The answer could lie in this cultivation technique developed by Maya farmers. A new study published in the journal PLOS One shows that the association of peaspeas–carrotscarrots–tomatoestomatoes would be particularly interesting. Individually, each of these plants showed the ability to grow in Martian regolith. However, their association would have significantly promoted tomato growth.
Carrots and peas, on the other hand, would have suffered from the absence of a bacteriabacteria (Rhizobium leguminosarum), which usually helps the plant fix nitrogen at the root level. The harsh conditions offered by the regolith would indeed hinder the development of these bacteria.
For the researchers, the results are positive and show that a thoughtful association of species, as well as targeted supplementation to improve the traits of the plants.Regolith could help optimize food production on Mars.
In future space projects, vegetables from the garden will be on the menu. Trials have already begun, as explained by Victoria Da-Poian. In the Utah desert, this Supaéro student cultivates a vegetable garden as if she were on Mars as part of simulation mission MDRS 175. The mission involves seven people living in an isolated base, replicating the conditions of Martian explorers.
The six students and the young engineer from ISAE-Supaéro (Institut supérieur de l’aéronautique et de l’espace) have been living since February 11 in a simulation of life on Mars at the Mars Desert Research Station in the middle of the Utah desert, United States, where they are conducting various experiments. One of these experiments includes growing fresh produce in conditions similar to those on the Red Planet.
Currently, astronauts aboard the ISS mainly consume freeze-dried food for reasons of preservation and mass during takeoff. Victoria Da-Poian, a second-year student and responsible for the GreenHab experiment, explains that fortunately, a supply of fresh produce arrives regularly with the cargo shipments. However, such resupply would be impossible on Mars. If astronauts want to improve their diet with fresh food, they will have to grow their own.
Food is vital for the body and also influences mental health, prompting reflection on how food for future explorers will be produced, consumed, and recycled. This learning came from the Mars 500 experiment between June 2010 and November 2011. French participant Romain Charles, who lived confined with five others for 520 days, regretted not being able to cook. He mentioned that meals were ready to eat, and they only needed to boil water for the freeze-dried dishes. The lack of meal preparation left them somewhat unsatisfied, as he explained at the end of his experience.
Cultivating a garden on Mars is not only good for the body but also for morale. Victoria Da-Poian emphasized the importance of partnering with the French startup Vegidair, which will provide them with several connected gardens to grow fresh produce in conditions similar to Mars. This initiative is expected to boost the crew’s morale.
Vegidair One, an autonomous garden that allows rapid growth of lettuces and plants, is already available for purchase.Aromatic plantsAromatic plants (such as basilbasil, parsleyparsley, etc.) over a period of 2, 3, or 4 weeks depending on the plantings.” This is a simple self-managing system (with LEDLED lighting, watering, sensors, etc.) that allows “Martians to eat what they grow.” So, there is a positive aspect on morale, with “a change in dietary habits, the enthusiasm of eating what we grow,” and, most importantly, bringing seeds to Mars takes up much less space than bringing food.
The student shares with Futura the details of this original experience.
What does this experience consist of?
Victoria Da-Poian: The idea is to test different substratessubstrates with the same seeds and measure their performance. Some substrates will be soaked in dry or moderately damp fertilizer to see the difference in growth. We will also study the impacts of varying frequencyfrequency and duration of watering as well as the duration of lighting to observe their effects on growth.
What lighting will you use?
Victoria Da-Poian: Several. We will test different lighting systems, some more powerful than others, to see the difference in growth. We will use two different sources of lightlight: a Standard Vegidair LED panel (installed about 30 centimeters above the plants) and the second panel (about 40 cm above the plants), intended for the cultivation of psychotropicpsychotropic plants, which uses blue and red LEDs. So, it is not a “full spectrum” per se. This choice was made by Vegidair, which wanted a compromise between the needs of hydroponics (soilless culture) and user comfort (white light).
With three weeks of use, what do you expect to produce?
Victoria Da-Poian: In three weeks, we think it should be possible to obtain small salads and microgreens (between germinated seed and adult plant, 2 to 3 weeks of germination with long, thin shoots). The advantage of microgreens lies in their nutritional and tastetaste.