Turkish scientists have grown tomatoes in soil that mimics the regolith of the Moon and Mars
The project, funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), is being carried out by scientists at Aegean University. It investigates how extraterrestrial surfaces can be prepared for plant cultivation, writes Turkish Daily News.
The university conducted a 15-month study using regolith substrates imported from the United States, which resemble the Moon and Mars in their mineral composition.
Regolith is a surface layer of dust and rocks devoid of organic matter and microbial life, making it extremely difficult to grow plants. Unlike terrestrial soil, it contains high concentrations of metals and salts and has no biological activity.
Since shipping soil from Earth to space colonies is virtually impossible, scientists are investigating methods to prepare it biologically right on the ground.
In the first phase of the project, extremophilic plants capable of tolerating high temperatures, metal toxicity, drought and salinity were grown. After preparing the regolith, the scientists began growing tomatoes. Several plants gave a good harvest, the scientists note.
The next stage of research will be devoted to assessing the quality of fruits and studying the molecular mechanisms of their stress response. The fruits will be analyzed in detail at the time of maturity, then compared with tomatoes grown in ordinary soil.
The results of the study are expected to clarify whether crops grown in regolith-like substrates can be safe and viable for future lunar or Martian settlements.
