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A recent study published in Frontiers attempted to answer this complex question. Researchers at Wageningen University and the Nuclear Research Institute at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands conducted practical experiments to explore the possibility of growing plants on the Red Planet.
Nink Tak, an undergraduate student at Delft University of Technology, attempted to study the effect of gamma rays, as recorded by the Martian probe Curiosity, on two types of crops: watercress (a type of watercress) and rye (similar to wheat and used to make bread).
“Because the radiation on Mars is much higher than on Earth (230 µg / day, about 17 times higher than on Earth), the experiment was carried out under strict security measures,” says Tack.
Before conducting the experiment, scientists believed that the high level of radiation could affect the growth of crops in greenhouses on Mars, which could make human settlements more complicated.
simulation
The researchers conducted the experiment by simulating radiation levels on the surface of Mars, where plants were continuously exposed for 28 days to a radiation field similar to that found on Mars, and then they were harvested.
According to the study, only gamma rays were used, because cosmic radiation on Mars consists of alpha, beta gamma and ultraviolet rays, so there are still differences, but the dose was about the same as that likely to be felt by a plant on Mars. .
Although germination rates were not affected by radiation, there was a significant negative effect on the growth of both types of crops, as biomass growth significantly decreased by 32 percent in the plant. Watercress ”and 48 percent in the rye plant. during the first four weeks after germination.
Suggested solutions
After monitoring the negative effects on plants, the research team was able to come up with an option to protect plants from harmful cosmic rays, through the use of natural daylight with the addition of LED lights.
“Now that we can anticipate the negative effects on plant growth from radiation on Mars, we need to protect plants,” says Nink Tak. It also protects humans. “
She continues, “Growing underground on the Red Planet is more difficult than growing plants in rooftop greenhouses, but it also makes life easier because we can grow plants under fully controlled conditions, using LED light.
“This is the reason why we are now starting the first tests in a Cold War bunker in Arnhem near Wageningen, underground but in a completely sealed environment,” says Tack.
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