Photo: Leon Brooks
NASA is teaming up with Peru’s International Potato Centre to start cultivating said vegetable in Mars-like conditions on Earth.
The team hopes to develop a viable strategy to grow potatoes and other vegetables in conditions unique to the planet Mars. Naturally, the team has everything laid out to replicate the atmospheric conditions on the Red Planet.
According to CNBC, the soil from Peru’s Pampas de La Joya desert is nearly identical to the one found on Mars. Thanks to these findings, the researchers can use the same type of soil as the one on the Red Planet and simulate the Martian atmosphere to develop ways of growing potatoes and maybe other vegetables on that planet for future Space exploration.
As explained in a CIP (International Potato Centre, located in Peru) press release, the Martian atmosphere is almost 95% carbon dioxide, a condition that is believed to benefit the crop of potatoes. Scientists expect the crop of potatoes grown in Martian conditions to yield two to four times more vegetables than the equivalent crop in a normal Earth-based environment. Once the researchers discover solutions for growing garden produce on Mars, future manned missions to the Red Planet and beyond could benefit from a reliable and renewable food source.
But astronauts aren’t the only beneficiaries of this potentially groundbreaking development. As the head of communications for the International Potato Center points out, if these plants can grow in extreme conditions such as the ones on Mars, there’s no reason they couldn’t be easily farmed on Earth.
The researchers want to highlight the important role potatoes can play in improving global food security.
According to agronomists, potatoes have high nutrient levels and the ability to grow in challenging conditions. In areas known for poverty, malnutrition and pasture scarcity, potatoes could solve a lot of problems. As most of us know, the three factors mentioned above tend to go hand in hand.
With no crops in sight, local economies fail and malnutrition affects both children and adults alike. A new kind of potato, able to grow even in Martian conditions, could solve this issue for thousands of families worldwide.
According to CNBC, the soil from Peru’s Pampas de La Joya desert is nearly identical to the one found on Mars. Thanks to these findings, the researchers can use the same type of soil as the one on the Red Planet and simulate the Martian atmosphere to develop ways of growing potatoes and maybe other vegetables on that planet for future Space exploration.
As explained in a CIP (International Potato Centre, located in Peru) press release, the Martian atmosphere is almost 95% carbon dioxide, a condition that is believed to benefit the crop of potatoes. Scientists expect the crop of potatoes grown in Martian conditions to yield two to four times more vegetables than the equivalent crop in a normal Earth-based environment. Once the researchers discover solutions for growing garden produce on Mars, future manned missions to the Red Planet and beyond could benefit from a reliable and renewable food source.
But astronauts aren’t the only beneficiaries of this potentially groundbreaking development. As the head of communications for the International Potato Center points out, if these plants can grow in extreme conditions such as the ones on Mars, there’s no reason they couldn’t be easily farmed on Earth.
The researchers want to highlight the important role potatoes can play in improving global food security.
According to agronomists, potatoes have high nutrient levels and the ability to grow in challenging conditions. In areas known for poverty, malnutrition and pasture scarcity, potatoes could solve a lot of problems. As most of us know, the three factors mentioned above tend to go hand in hand.
With no crops in sight, local economies fail and malnutrition affects both children and adults alike. A new kind of potato, able to grow even in Martian conditions, could solve this issue for thousands of families worldwide.
Google News