Growth of Four different Crop Species in Supplemented Loamy Lunar Regolith

Abstract

The ability to sustain crop growth in lunar regolith is imperative for long-term lunar missions. Due to the difficulty of transporting materials, using available lunar regolith for food growth is vital; however, past research has shown that dependence on crude lunar regolith is not feasible due to its absence of necessary nutrients and poor structural composition. Our experiment analyzed the possibility of growing crops in lunar regolith that was modified to have a loamy texture and to imitate the properties of Earth soil. Four crop species were grown in a 52:48 lunar regolith to additive concentration for seven weeks. Fagopyrum esculentum plants had significantly greater biomass in lunar regolith than in the control, which was earth soil. Triticum aestivum L., Solanum lycopersicum, and Pisum sativum crops showed no significant difference in overall biomass. Both lunar regolith and soil-grown crops produced flowers and fruits. We then determined the ideal lunar regolith to additive ratio by growing Fagopyrum esculentum in 52:48, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 90:10, and 100:0 concentrations over a seven-day period. Biomass results indicate that the 90:10 concentration of lunar regolith to additive is the most effective (p<0.01 when compared to all concentrations excluding 80:20). Such results are promising because they suggest a potential for effective crop development in lunar regolith supported by a relatively small quantity of additive.