Scientists successfully planted germinating plants on the Moon's soil

Researchers at the University of Florida (USA) have successfully grown Arabidopsis thaliana on the lunar soil that was brought back to Earth by the Apollo astronauts.

The plant Arabidopsis thaliana grows on the soil of the Moon.

The Guardian (UK) on May 13 reported that scientists were curious about the ability of plants to grow on the Moon's soil and the test results surprised them. Details of the study were published in the journal Communications Biology on May 12.

Robert Ferl at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (USA) and his colleagues planted Arabidopsis thaliana seeds on 12 grams of lunar soil collected by the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 astronauts. The US Space Agency (NASA) brought it back. They also added water and nutrients to the soil the Moon was seeded with.

In addition, Arabidopsis seeds are also grown in synthetics that simulate lunar soil, as well as volcanic ash.

To the surprise of the researchers, almost all of the seeds planted in the lunar soil actually germinated and began to grow. Notably, after the first week, the properties of the Moon's soil pressured the Arabidopsis thaliana plants to grow more slowly than those grown on Earth's soil. Besides, their roots are also stunted. Plants grown on lunar soil take longer to develop leaves than plants of the same species grown on volcanic ash.

The study results were published in the journal Communications Biology on May 12.

The researchers wanted to conduct a follow-up experiment around how growing plants in the lunar environment would alter the effects of lunar soil. Adjunct professor Stephen Elardo at the University of Florida, who was also involved in the study, said the Moon is a very dry environment, so they wanted to study how minerals in the lunar soil would react when added. water and nutrients to grow plants.

Further research could also help researchers determine the most efficient way to grow plants on lunar soil. Although Arabidopsis thaliana is edible, it is not tasty and is not yet considered a food crop. But Arabidopsis thaliana is 'in the same family' as broccoli, kale, radishes and cauliflower.