If humans settle on Mars, they will be able to eat vegetables there. Martian soil is indeed not toxic to human cultures.
Radishes grown on Mars? The idea sounds crazy and yet researchers have experimented with it with success. Four vegetables and grains were grown in land similar to that of the Red Planet and deemed fit for consumption. The work comes from the University of Wageningue (Netherlands), in partnership with the company Mars One, at the origin of a project to colonize the planet Mars.
The land was provided by NASA. It has the same properties and characteristics as that present on Mars. Scientists make it from soil from an Arizona desert, in the southwest of the United States, and a volcano in Hawaii, the university said in a statement.
Since 2013, the Dutch team has been carrying out tests to try to grow plants in this soil. She has thus succeeded in growing watercress, radishes, legumes and even wild plants.
Dutch Research team showed that food grown on Martian soil simulant is safe to eat! https://t.co/5mWFSK8ZrR pic.twitter.com/rAHbksQ4qX
– Mars One (@MarsOneProject) June 23, 2016
Heavy metals
Except that until now, the researchers did not know if the plants resulting from this hostile ground could be consumed without risk for the human being. In fact, the soils of the planet Mars contain heavy metals, like those found on Earth. The Dutch team has therefore just lifted the veil on this issue.
Radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes were tested for toxicity. According to the results, these four foods do not contain dangerous amounts of heavy metals (aluminum, zinc, arsenic, iron) and are “safe to eat”. The concentration of heavy metals in some plants was even lower than in those grown on potting soil, says Wageningen University.
According to Wieger Wamelink, quoted in the press release, “These remarkable results are very promising. We can actually eat these radishes, peas, rye and tomatoes and I’m really curious how they taste! “.
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