From dust to seed: a lunar chickpea story

Abstract

Food sustainability is one of the most significant barriers to long-term space travel. Providing resources from Earth is not cost-efficient, and resupply missions are not viable to meet the needs of long-term life in deep space conditions. Plants in space can provide a source of nutrition and oxygen, reducing the reliance on packaged foods, reducing resupply needs, and extending the duration of missions. Using lunar regolith simulant, we employ a novel methodology to create a sustainable and productive growth medium to support the cultivation of horticultural crops on the Moon. Implementing microbial soil regeneration mechanisms derived from Earth, we leverage the interaction between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and Vermicompost (VC) to create a fertile LRS matrix. These amendments can sequester toxic contaminants, improve soil structure, and increase plant stress tolerance. We demonstrate the ability to produce chickpea (Cicer arietinum) in lunar regolith simulant augmented with AMF and VC under climate-controlled conditions. We cultivated chickpea to seed in a mixture containing 75% Lunar Regolith Simulant. Preliminary results suggest that higher LRS contents induce heightened stress responses. However, plants grown in 100% LRS inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi demonstrated an average two-week survival extension compared to non-inoculated plants. This study provides, for the first time, a baseline for chickpea germination in varying mixtures of LRS and VC and will inform future studies as humanity goes back to the Moon.