Growth of Sweetpotato in Lunar and Mars Simulants

Mortley, Desmond G.; Aglan, H.; Bonsi, C.K.; Hill, Walter A.

doi:10.4271/2000-01-2289

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In the absence of any organic matter, the main chemical compositions and mineralogy of Lunar and Martian simulants are very similar to those of their respective reference samples from the Lunar and Martian surfaces (Mortley et al, 2000;Beegle et al, 2007;Peters et al, 2008;Zeng et al, 2015;Kölbl et al, 2017). The data from rovers show low variability in bulk chemical composition of regolith in the areas where measurements have been acquired (Zeng et al, 2015).…”

Section: Bulk Chemistry and Physicochemical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…The macro-and micronutrient levels, porosity, and water availability are fundamental parameters in assessing the capability of a substrate to sustain plant growth. Many studies have evaluated substrate efficiency (Ming et al, 1993;Ming and Henninger, 1994;Aglan et al, 1998;Mortley et al, 2000) and water management (Ramírez et al, 2019;Wamelink et al, 2019) over the years. To be integrated with crop production, a good regolith simulant should have certain physical characteristics, including the following: 1) optimal water holding capacity to maintain an effective level of humidity after irrigation; and 2) optimal air circulation in the porous medium to allow efficient gas exchange and root and microbial respiration.…”

Section: Key Studies On Plant Cultivation On Regolith Simulants: Critical Aspects Of -And Solutions For -Growing Crops On Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, Lunar and Martian simulants have been primarily studied for applications other than agronomy (de Vera et al, 2004;Gertsch et al, 2008;Kölbl et al, 2017;Karl et al, 2018), although they have potential use as a substrate for crop growth (Mortley et al, 2000). Several strategies and treatments can be applied to ameliorate the nutrient deficiency of simulants and enhance their performance as plant growth substrates.…”

Section: Key Studies On Plant Cultivation On Regolith Simulants: Critical Aspects Of -And Solutions For -Growing Crops On Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

Duri

Caporale

Rouphael

et al. 2022

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) are conceived of and developed so as to provide food sources for crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. The in situ resource utilization (ISRU) approach aims to reduce terrestrial input into a BLSS by using native regoliths and recycled organic waste as primary resources. The combination of BLSS and ISRU may allow sustainable food production on Moon and Mars. This task poses several challenges, including the effects of partial gravity, the limited availability of oxygen and water, and the self-sustaining management of resources. Lunar and Martian regoliths are not available on Earth; therefore, space research studies are conducted on regolith simulants that replicate the physicochemical properties of extra-terrestrial regoliths (as assessed in situ by previous missions). This review provides an overview of the physicochemical properties and mineralogical composition of commercially available Lunar and Martian regolith simulants. Subsequently, it describes potential strategies and sustainable practices for creating regolith simulants akin to terrestrial soil, which is a highly dynamic environment where microbiota and humified organic matter interact with the mineral moiety. These strategies include the amendment of simulants with composted organic wastes, which can turn nutrient-poor and alkaline crushed rocks into efficient life-sustaining substrates equipped with enhanced physical, hydraulic, and chemical properties. In this regard, we provide a comprehensive analysis of recent scientific works focusing on the exploitation of regolith simulant-based substrates as plant growth media. The literature discussion helps identify the main critical aspects and future challenges related to sustainable space farming by the in situ use and enhancement of Lunar and Martian resources.

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Section: Bulk Chemistry and Physicochemical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Key Studies On Plant Cultivation On Regolith Simulants: Critical Aspects Of -And Solutions For -Growing Crops On Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Key Studies On Plant Cultivation On Regolith Simulants: Critical Aspects Of -And Solutions For -Growing Crops On Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

Duri

Caporale

Rouphael

et al. 2022

Front. Astron. Space Sci.

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“…In the NFT delivery system, the roots were exposed to a nutrient solution within a plastic film trough. However, for the MTMS delivery system, microporous tube membranes (which supplied the nutrient solution) were embedded in solid media (Turface) (Mortley and others 1991, 2000). The nutrient solution contained the following: 3.5 mM N, 0.5 mM P, 3 mM K, 2 mM Ca, 1 mM Mg, 1 mM S and 4.6 μM Fe, 9.2 μM Mn, 0.8 μM Zn, 23.1 μM B, 0.5 μM Mo, 4 Cl.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional, Physical, and Sensory Evaluation of Hydroponic Carrots (Daucus carota L.) from Different Nutrient Delivery Systems

Gichuhi¹,

Mortley²,

Bromfield³

et al. 2009

Journal of Food Science

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Carrot (Daucus carota L.) has the highest carotenoid content among foods and is consumed in large quantities worldwide, while at the same time its market demand continues to increase. Carotenoids have also been associated with protective effects against cancer and other chronic diseases. The most predominant carotenoids in carrots are beta- and alpha-carotenes. Moisture, ash, fat, texture, color, carotene content, and consumer acceptance of carrots grown in a hydroponic system with nutrient film technique (NFT) and microporous tube membrane system (MTMS) were evaluated. The moisture contents of the NFT- and MTMS-grown carrots ranged from 86.8 +/- 0.13% to 92.2 +/- 2.25% and 80.9 +/- 0.31% to 91.6 +/- 1.01%, respectively. Fat and ash contents of the carrots were negligible. NFT-grown Oxheart had the most beta-carotene (9900 +/- 20 microg/100 g) while Juwaroot had the least (248 +/- 10 microg/100 g). However, the beta-carotene content of Juwaroot from the NFT batch II carrots was 3842 +/- 6 microg/100 g. MTMS-grown carrots had less variation in the total beta-carotene contents (2434 +/- 89 to 10488 +/- 8 microg/100 g) than those from NFT. Overall, Nantes Touchan (4.8 +/- 2.3) and Nevis-F (7 +/- 1.4) from NFT were the least and most preferred by consumers. Mignon was also acceptable to consumers, and significantly (P < 0.05) more preferred than the other carrots in that NFT batch. MTMS-grown Kinko and Paramex, which were significantly (P < 0.05) more preferred than Nandrin-F and the commercial field-grown carrot, were equally liked by consumers. Nevis-F, Mignon (NFT), Paramex, and Kinko (MTMS) are potentially good cultivars to be included in NASA's food system.

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“…To the best of our knowledge, very few works have dealt with cultivation on Mars simulants. Among them, we must mention Gilrain et al [34], Mortley et al [35] and Wamelink et al [36], with only Gilrain et al [34] adopting diverse ratios of simulant and compost. Moreover, there are no data concerning the responsive interaction between plant qualitative traits and a Mars simulant substrate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mars Regolith Simulant Ameliorated by Compost as in situ Cultivation Substrate Improves Lettuce Growth and Nutritional Aspects

Duri

El‐Nakhel

Caporale

et al. 2020

Plants

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Heavy payloads in future shuttle journeys to Mars present limiting factors, making self-sustenance essential for future colonies. Therefore, in situ resources utilization (ISRU) is the path to successful and feasible space voyages. This research frames the concept of planting leafy vegetables on Mars regolith simulant, ameliorating this substrate’s fertility by the addition of organic residues produced in situ. For this purpose, two butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. capitata) cultivars (green and red Salanova®) were chosen to be cultivated in four different mixtures of MMS-1 Mojave Mars simulant:compost (0:100, 30:70, 70:30 and 100:0; v:v) in a phytotron open gas exchange growth chamber. The impact of compost rate on both crop performance and the nutritive value of green- and red-pigmented cultivars was assessed. The 30:70 mixture proved to be optimal in terms of crop performance, photosynthetic activity, intrinsic water use efficiency and quality traits of lettuce. In particular, red Salanova® showed the best performance in terms of these quality traits, registering 32% more phenolic content in comparison to 100% simulant. Nonetheless, the 70:30 mixture represents a more realistic scenario when taking into consideration the sustainable use of compost as a limited resource in space farming, while still accepting a slight significant decline in yield and quality in comparison to the 30:70 mixture.

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Growth of Sweetpotato in Lunar and Mars Simulants

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

The Potential for Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulants to Sustain Plant Growth: A Multidisciplinary Overview

Nutritional, Physical, and Sensory Evaluation of Hydroponic Carrots (Daucus carota L.) from Different Nutrient Delivery Systems

Mars Regolith Simulant Ameliorated by Compost as in situ Cultivation Substrate Improves Lettuce Growth and Nutritional Aspects

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