A fantasy turned into reality: Science is nearing the possibility of growing chickpeas on the moon.

 the moon

A fantasy turned into reality: Science is nearing the possibility of growing chickpeas on the moon.

In light of the tremendous scientific and technological development in our current era, what was considered a fantasy in the past seems to be achievable.
As NASA prepares for the Artemis 2 mission and its renewed plan to explore the moon, scientists have begun to think about a practical challenge that astronauts will face in the future: what will they eat?
Meanwhile, new research from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that chickpeas may be part of the answer.

How is that?

In a recent experiment, scientists successfully grew and harvested chickpeas using simulated "lunar soil." This is the first time this crop has been produced in a material designed to mimic the composition of lunar soil.
The research was conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University and published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Sara Santos, the lead researcher on the project, said the findings represent an important step toward understanding how to grow crops on the moon.
Santos, a distinguished research fellow at the University of Texas Geophysics Institute, added, "The goal of the research is to understand the possibility of growing crops on the moon, and how we can transform this material, or what is called lunar regolith (the scientific name for the dusty material that covers the surface of the moon), into real soil? And what natural mechanisms can achieve this transformation?"

In particular, “lunar regolith” does not contain microorganisms or organic materials that plants depend on for growth, although it does contain minerals and useful nutrients.
It also contains heavy metals that may hinder plant development.

Improving the soil with worm compost

To test the possibility of growing crops in these conditions, the researchers used simulated lunar soil produced by Exolith Labs, designed to resemble the lunar samples brought back by the Apollo missions.
To improve it, the team mixed the simulated lunar soil with vermicompost, a nutrient-rich substance produced by red earthworms after digesting organic waste.

It should be noted that in the context of space missions, worms can produce compost from discarded materials such as food scraps, cotton clothing, or hygiene products.
The researchers also coated the chickpea seeds with shrubby mycorrhizal fungi that live in a symbiotic relationship with the plant, helping it absorb nutrients and reducing the absorption of heavy metals. Santos and her team then grew the chickpeas in various mixtures of lunar soil and compost.

The results then showed that plants could grow successfully in mixtures containing up to 75% simulated lunar soil.
But when this percentage was exceeded, the plants were subjected to great stress and died more quickly.

Even under harsh conditions, plants treated with fungi survived longer than untreated ones, highlighting the importance of these fungi in supporting growth.
The researchers also discovered that the fungi were able to settle in the simulated lunar soil, suggesting that they may only need to be added once in an actual lunar farming system.

Is it possible to eat chickpeas grown on the moon?

Although harvesting chickpeas from simulated lunar soil is a significant achievement, many questions remain. Scientists still need to determine whether the plants absorb harmful minerals and whether the chickpeas provide essential nutrients for astronauts.
In this context, Jessica Atkin, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at the University of Texas, said, "We want to understand how suitable it is as a food source... How healthy is it? Does it contain the elements that astronauts need? And if it is not safe to eat, how many generations do we need to get there?"