A group of researchers from the University of Wageningen (the Netherlands) has discovered that earthworms can thrive and reproduce in a simulated soil of Mars developed by NASA.
What we call Martian “soil” is, in fact, barren rock and dust. Thus, in order to establish farms on Mars and grow potatoes as Matt Damon did in “The Martian” , in scientific terms, the “soil” must contain elements of organic matter from plants and animals.
So the scientists added arugula plants, manure compost, and earthworms to a mix that pretended to be a Martian plot. They discovered that the worms thrived and that they also produced their first offspring. This finding is crucial, since these creatures are a crucial factor in making the soil fertile, which means that the first colonizers of Mars could grow food once they are on the red planet.
Martian soil analysis
After NASA’s Curiosity robot completed its first soil analysis of the red planet in 2012, scientists discovered that the planet’s regolith is an eroded volcanic type very similar to terrestrial soils found on the Hawaiian Islands. Numerous tests were carried out trying to grow plants of a food nature. The first attempts were unsuccessful, but later they managed to get better results with the help of fresh cut grass added to the growing medium.
In 2016, a research group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands successfully grew 10 species of crops , including tomatoes, rye, and radishes, using a simulation of Martian soil to which they added manure and sand samples where they were growing arugula. .
When it comes to establishing a sustainable agricultural ecosystem on Mars, “you can’t lose anything, including dead plant material that we don’t eat,” says biologist Wieger Wamelink and leader of the work.
“The worm is part of the small existing cycle of plants, worms, bacteria, fungi, humans, and bumblebees. Worms chew up organic matter, mix it with the soil, and excrete it. Bacteria break down organic matter further, releasing nutrients. for plants. That has to be returned to the soil and the worms do exactly that, “Wamelink clarifies.
The worms do an important job digging burrows, aerating the soil that helps the water reach the roots, “which is important for plant growth.”
Dozens of crops are already being grown in various experiments with Martian soil, including potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, peas, carrots and radishes, however this was the first time that a team of biologists in the Netherlands used manure.
“That triggered the growth. We know that the addition of organic matter also helps and the work of the worms also adds. This implies that human feces have to be returned to the system and feces during space travel have to be stored to fertilize the Martian soil. So Mark Watney in ‘The Martian’ was right to add poop to the soil to grow his potatoes, “Wamelink clarifies.
These results raise hopes for our ability to grow vegetables on the red planet in the future. However, there are caveats. Would earthworms survive on Mars? They would need a controlled environment to keep them from freezing cold on this planet, as well as provide them with liquid water and a protective shield for radiation on the surface.
The positive is that all the vegetables grown so far are safe to eat.
Reference: The project has a crowdfunding campaign in Worms for Mars.
