Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands created a greenhouse to see how intercropping works in simulated Martian soil.
Martian soil differs significantly from Earth’s—it lacks essential nutrients, contains perchlorates , and is highly alkaline. These factors make it inhospitable for most plant life.
This approach, known as intercropping, is still in practice and entails growing two to three different types of crops together. This strategy is advantageous because it produces plants with complementary traits that can help each other survive. Researchers at the Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands created a greenhouse to see how intercropping works in simulated Martian soil.
The study team reportedly added beneficial microorganisms and nutrients. They also adjusted the greenhouse’s gases, temperature, and humidity to simulate Martian greenhouse conditions. “Since this is pioneering research, where it’s the first time that this intercropping technique is applied to space agriculture, we really didn’t know what to expect,” Rebeca Gonçalves, astrobiologist and lead author, toldGonçalves highlights that it was surprising that the technique worked out well for one crop, which could help further refine the method.
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