Since November 2019, Wageningen University & Research has been experimenting with green beans on simulated Mars soil and a lunar field. Scientists have found that plants can be grown on Mars and on the moon, and also harvested the first bean crop.
A feature of this experiment is that some plants are fertilized with human urine in the form of struvite. The most important question: does it work? It seems like yes because the first beans were harvested.
The experiment is conducted to find out if we can feed the future inhabitants of the moon and produce food there. Direct speech: “After a series of experiments, we know how to do this.
But more is needed than just letting the plants grow. For example, urine and feces from astronauts should be reused as fertilizer for plants, ”says scientist Viger Weimlink.
A total of 60 pots were filled with simulated soils of Mars and the Moon and earth soil. The pots were filled with 250 g of soil soil, 750 g of the Mars soil simulator or 750 g of the Moon soil simulator. 250 grams of water and 15 g struvite was added to half the pots. Struvit comes from wastewater treatment plants in the west of Amsterdam, in Den Bosch and on land Van Kuyk.
Three grains were sown in each pot. If more than one bean sprouted, the smallest two were removed after 2 weeks, leaving one plant per pot. Water is supplied automatically every day, the plants are in the greenhouse at a temperature favorable for growth.
During the experiment, the length of all plants was measured. Direct speech: “Soon there were differences in the length of the plants, and the plants grow best on terrestrial potted compost and lunar soil with struvite. Pots with Marxian soil and struvite were slightly behind in development. Plants without struvite did not grow more than 25 cm. ”Said Weymlink
The first flowering was noticed on December 20 and the first beans appeared shortly before Christmas, that is, within two months.
The new year began with the first bean harvest, harvested both on the lunar and potted soil. Harvesting from simulated Mars soil took another 1 week. Almost a kilogram of beans has already been harvested from struvite pots.
- In the United States, the futures for corn and beans remained almost unchanged over the night after trading, reaching the highest level in three years.
- The territories that were allocated by the authorities of the Russian Federation for sowing grain and leguminous crops exceeded the area of forty-six and a half million hectares.
- Farmers of the Rivne region continue to harvest early grains and legumes sown on 201 thousand hectares, the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of the Rivne Regional State Administration said in a statement.
- In the United States, beans and grain jumped in price during trading on reports that hot and dry weather was approaching for the central United States.
- Chinese state-owned companies bought about 1.5 million tons of US soybeans for shipment, which was their second major acquisition of shipments to the United States.
