Scientists have revealed what is the first plant that humans must grow to survive on the red planet Mars. This plant can be grown easily on the soil of Mars and then used as fertilizer.
As humanity, our setting foot on Mars will take place in the near future than you think. Whether we want to build a life there is debatable, but if we are going to build it, we need food.
You may remember the Martian movie, where Matt Damon’s character, when he went to Mars, was growing a few plants there using the greenhouse method. Scientists have found the most productive plant we could grow to survive on Mars in a similar scenario.
The first plant we should grow on Mars:Clover
According to scientists’ research, the plant we should grow on Mars is clover. Researchers have determined that this forage plant could survive in the harsh volcanic soil covering Mars and then be used as fertilizer to grow foods such as turnips, radishes and lettuce.
Previous research has shown that plants would not grow on the Martian surface without the addition of extra nutrients to the soil in which they are placed, which is where alfalfa comes in. It is difficult to get an exact match for the fact that it can grow smoothly in the soil on Mars, but researchers have revealed that the alfalfa plant can grow as healthy as on Earth October without any additional fertilizers.
The simulated Martian soil was then tested with alfalfa added as fertilizer. Three plants with little maintenance, fast-growing and not requiring much water, such as turnips, radishes and lettuce, were subjected to the test and all were successfully grown.
There is one problem, though: fresh water is also needed. But this may not be a problem either, because the research team thinks that the salty water found on Mars can be treated with a type of marine bacteria and then filtered through volcanic rocks to produce the fresh water needed for crop growth.
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