Scientists at the University of Florida have successfully cultivated a plant in lunar soil for the first time. The achievement could have significant implications for future long-duration space missions in which astronauts will need to have access to their own food sources.
To the scientists’ delight, green shoots started to appear after just two days. However, after about day six, it was clear that the plants were not as healthy as they would’ve been if grown in Earth soil, or even as those in the control group that were cultivated in a lunar simulant made from volcanic ash. For example, the plants in the regolith grew more slowly and had stunted roots, and some had stunted leaves and showed reddish pigmentation.
Scientists also established that the quality of the lunar soil varies, as one sample in particular produced poorer growth results than the other two.
great now we can have a nice lawn on the moon