Get astounded yet again with an attempt to harvest more crops and vegetables on the red planet.
What we have uncovered in the recent past is, astronomers stop at nothing! Throw a challenge at them, and they can take it up to fulfil it fantastically. Be it finding water amidst rocks or growing crops out of stones, in 2016 Wieger Wamelink an ecologist at Wageningen University proved the fertility of martial soil as he eats vegetables being produced in that ground. His lunch made of 10 simple crops including quinoa, cress and tomatoes confirmed that he had made the significant change.
His team began preparations by mixing soil granulating rock particles and mixing it with martial rocks which initially seemed impossible for plant growth. The texture and setting of the soil were very different from what was expected from a fertile soil that would not puncture the roots with razor-sharp chips. The intense wind erosion and ancient water movement covered with stimulated dirt made the growth environment more favourable.
As remarked by Wamelink, once the crops are ready, the nutrition value and taste of the crops have no difference. The sweetness of tomatoes impressed him the most. The attempt to add artificial bacteria, urea and nitrogen fixed fertilizers helped in improving the quality of the crops.
At the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania, Professor Ed Guinan and Alicia Eglin did their experiment with several successful attempts on Martian simulant. The soil was prepared from rocks collected from the Mojave Desert.
They modelled using traditional methods like organic worms to fix the nitrogen content in the ground. The headlines were made on the project in 2018 when they could produce barley and hops to cultivate a beverage that would sustain humans for long.
With time the scientists have added tomatoes, garlic, spinach, kale, lettuce, onion and radishes to the farming list. The surprise element was kale growing better on Martian soil than in local soil. Growing potatoes has still not been a success as it gets choked in the compact earth.
Looking for the ideal spot with relatively favourable soil can be done by programming mars rovers. The plutonium-based power system helps them look for habitable ground in the surrounding. Collecting samples of rocks and stones all over the surface can help scientists analyze the situation.
