Wageningen UR researchers are conducting new experiments on Martian soil. The first experiment is a germination experiment. The second experiment will look at possibly dangerous ingredients in the harvested vegetables.
Germination experiment
Researcher Wieger Wamelink blogs: "The first experiment is a germination experiment again, back to the beginning. These are seeds that were grown and harvested last year on Martian and lunar simulant soils (and terrestrial potting soil), rye, radish, cress and pea. If these seeds germinate we’ll have a full cycle of seed through plant, back to seed. This is important because you don’t just want to grow plants to eat, but to reap many harvests from. So you must have fertile seeds that you can continue with. Otherwise, you have to keep flying seeds to Mars or the moon. The four species were sown into the same soil that they were harvested from, so seeds harvested from Martian simulant soil back into Martian simulant soil. The beauty of a germination experiment is that you have quick results, so we already know that all four seeds germinated on all three soils (Martian, lunar and terrestrial potting soil). So good news. It seems, however, that the seeds germinated in potting soil did so more than on the other soils."
Any heavy metals in the edible parts?
The second experiment is a much larger one that will last until the end of the summer. "Growing ten varieties of vegetables to determine whether it is safe to eat them. Are there any heavy metals in the yield, such as lead, zinc, mercury or excess iron, which we know to be in the ground? After all, there’s no point in growing vegetables for human Martians that are inedible. This year we’ve partly chosen the same varieties as last year, but partly also new ones. Radish, peas, rocket, cress spinach, rye and of course tomato return. New this year are the French bean, carrot and potato. NASA is working with the latter in Peru as well. And yes, of course we’d like to connect with the movie the Martian.
Because these crops are crops that need a lot of root space, for the first time we’ll be using large, deep pots tailored to the crop, so no more trays like last year or the tiny jars from 2013. This year organic matter will again be mixed with the soil to stimulate the incorporation of the non-eaten parts of the previous crop. In addition, nutrients are added that mimic those of feces and urine. We’re going for a large harvest, so we’ll soon have enough for the most exciting meal ever: to serve a Martian meal this summer when the vegetables have been declared safe."
The researchers are trying to continue their research through crowdfunding.