First new Martian and lunar potatoes

The first potatoes grown in Martian and lunar soil, previously made available by NASA, were harvested at the Wageningen Campus this morning. The pots in which the potatoes were planted in April produced mostly tubers of several centimeters, about as big as small new potatoes. The potatoes planted at the same time in earth soil were not much bigger. “Anyway, we can still improve our cultivation method,” researcher Wieger Wamelink concludes.

Click here to enlarge

The harvested soil fruits are being washed and weighed. The lunar and Martian soil in these pots produced less than the earthy potato in potting soil from the store. About half, is the conclusion after one pot, but there are still many pots waiting to be harvested. “We planted all crops in fivefold.” The fruits are analysed for contents of, for example, vitamins, flavonoids and alkaloids.

Wieger Wamelink carefully cuts the leaves off the plants in order to determine weight. “These greens are put into the soils for the next growing season. The organic material contains nutrients, such as nitrogen, and improves the structure of the soil.” The dark grey lunar soil and reddish Martian soil do not naturally contain organic substances. The lunar soil simulator has approximately the same composition as the actual lunar soil that came to Earth on the Apollo flights. “Quite dusty,” says Wieger Wamelink. The soil originates from Arizona, while the Martian soil comes from a volcanic area in Hawaii. The composition is about the same as that of samples of the celestial bodies.

Rocket, beans, tomatoes, rye, cress and other crops grow in the greenhouses of the Wageningen UR besides the potatoes. The harvests of these, together with the potatoes, will be the ingredients for a special four-course dinner for the sponsors of the crowdfunding project on 30 August.

For more info, please click here