Seedlings of the tobacco relative benth, Nicotiana benthamiana, grow in simulated lunar soil in a laboratory at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, China, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on November 9, 2023. Yitong Xia/Handout via REUTERS, there will be a need for a regular source of food. It is not practical, however, to think you can plant corn or wheat in plain lunar soil in greenhouses on the moon and expect a bumper crop - or any crop at all.
The action of the bacteria, the researchers said, made the soil more acidic. This resulting low pH environment caused insoluble phosphate-containing minerals to dissolve and release the phosphorus in them, increasing phosphorus availability for the plants. The new research involved benth, scientific name Nicotiana benthamiana, another plant often used in research.
"Considering the huge scientific and economic potential of the moon, we will need to set up manned lunar bases in the future. But how can we provide food, oxygen and water for the crew members? Of course we can carry them to the moon by rockets, but that is economically unsustainable. A greenhouse for plant cultivation on the moon could greatly reduce the need of Earth-moon transportation," Xia said.