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International Potato Center report positive indicators that potatoes can grow on Mars

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X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
http://cipotato.org/press-room/blog/indicators-show-potatoes-can-grow-mars/

March 8, 2017 — Lima (Peru) - The International Potato Center (CIP) launched a series of experiments to discover if potatoes can grow under Mars atmospheric conditions and thereby prove they are also able to grow in extreme climates on Earth. This Phase Two effort of CIP’s proof of concept experiment to grow potatoes in simulated Martian conditions began on February 14, 2016 when a tuber was planted in a specially constructed CubeSat contained environment built by engineers from University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in Lima based upon designs and advice provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Ames Research Center (NASA ARC), California. Preliminary results are positive.

The Potatoes on Mars project was conceived by CIP to both understand how potatoes might grow in Mars conditions and also see how they survive in the extreme conditions similar to what parts of the world already suffering from climate change and weather shocks are already experiencing.

“Growing crops under Mars-like conditions is an important phase of this experiment,” says Julio Valdivia-Silva, a research associate with the SETI Institute who has worked at NASA’s Ames Research Center (NASA ARC) and now works at UTEC in Lima. “If the crops can tolerate the extreme conditions that we are exposing them to in our CubeSat, they have a good chance to grow on Mars. We will do several rounds of experiments to find out which potato varieties do best. “We want to know what the minimum conditions are that a potato needs to survive,” he said.

The CubeSat houses a container holding soil and the tuber. Inside this hermetically sealed environment the CubeSat delivers nutrient rich water, controls the temperature for Mars day and night conditions and mimics Mars air pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Sensors constantly monitor these conditions and live streaming cameras record the soil in anticipation of the potato sprouting. Live streams of the experiment can be viewed at potatoes.space/mars or by going to the CIP website at www.CIPotato.org.

According to CIP potato breeder Walter Amoros, one advantage potato great genetic capacity for adaptation to extreme environments. CIP has tapped into that capacity by breeding potato clones that tolerate conditions such as soil salinity and drought, in order to help smallholder farmers grow food in marginal areas that could grow harsher under climate change.

In 2016, CIP brought Mars analog soil from the Pampas de La Joya desert in Southern Peru to its experimental station in La Molina, Lima. There CIP was able to show proof that potatoes could grow in this dry, salty soil with some help from fertilized Earth soil for both nutrition and structure.

“We have been looking at the very dry soils found in the southern Peruvian desert. These are the most Mars-like soils found on Earth.” Chris McKay of NASA ARC. “This [research] could have a direct technological benefit on Earth and a direct biological benefit on Earth,” says Chris McKay of NASA ARC.

From the initial experiment, CIP scientists concluded that future Mars missions that hope to grow potatoes will have to prepare soil with a loose structure and nutrients to allow the tubers to obtain enough air and water to allow it to tuberize.

“It was a pleasant surprise to see that potatoes we’ve bred to tolerate abiotic stress were able to produce tubers in this soil,” Amoros said. He added that one of the best performing varieties was very salt-tolerant from the CIP breeding program for adaptation to subtropical lowlands with tolerance to abiotic stress that was also recently released as a variety in Bangladesh for cultivation in coastal areas with high soil salinity.

Amoros noted that whatever their implications for Mars missions, the experiments have already provided good news about potato’s potential for helping people survive in extreme environments on Earth.

“The results indicate that our efforts to breed varieties with high potential for strengthening food security in areas that are affected, or will be affected by climate change, are working,” he said.

The Potatoes on Mars project has been conducted by CIP with the advice of NASA ARC and construction of the CubeSat technology was done by student engineers and their advisors at UTEC. NASA and UTEC scientist Julio Valdivia-Silva collaborated extensively with teams of UTEC and CIP scientists on both phases of this experiment. He identified the soil from Pampas de La Joya desert and led the effort to construct the sophisticated CubeSat.
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hbWXbHK.jpg
 
H

Hazmat

Member
More importantly, this means we can make booze on Mars. That one-way trip seems a little more palatable now.
 
C

Chmpocalypse

Blizzard
Intergalactic planet-hopping, brought to you by Lay's - bet you can't explore just one!

But for real, cool experiment. Will yield positive useful results here, too.
 
W

Woorloog

Banned
This still needs soil, right? That is they're just testing Martian conditions otherwise?
Because i'm pretty sure Martian regolith is not soil, and most likely completely unsuitable for plants.

Manufacturing soil is going to be a big problem on any planet. Here on Earth, it has taken quite a bit of time for soil to become what it is.
 
O

Oozer3993

Member
Andy Weir, author of The Martian, was so determined to include potatoes that he wrote a program to (among other things) figure out when there would be a good launch window to Mars such that the mission would be on the surface for Thanksgiving.
 
X

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Woorloog said:
This still needs soil, right? That is they're just testing Martian conditions otherwise?
Because i'm pretty sure Martian regolith is not soil, and most likely completely unsuitable for plants.

Manufacturing soil is going to be a big problem on any planet. Here on Earth, it has taken quite a bit of time for soil to become what it is.
Click to expand...

They go over it in the article, it's not part of the bolded section though. :p

In 2016, CIP brought Mars analog soil from the Pampas de La Joya desert in Southern Peru to its experimental station in La Molina, Lima. There CIP was able to show proof that potatoes could grow in this dry, salty soil with some help from fertilized Earth soil for both nutrition and structure.

”We have been looking at the very dry soils found in the southern Peruvian desert. These are the most Mars-like soils found on Earth." Chris McKay of NASA ARC. ”This [research] could have a direct technological benefit on Earth and a direct biological benefit on Earth," says Chris McKay of NASA ARC.
Click to expand...

So yeah at this point, it does need some amount of standard fertilized soil. I imagine a later phase of the experiment is to see how they can do with just the analog Mars soil.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Yeah but can we grow weed on Mars? If I'm going to be trapped living in a bubble for my time there I'd better be able to hot box that mother fucker.
 
L

Lucky Forward

Member
BronsonLee said:
'fuck you, Mars'

giphy.gif
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That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
 
R

RumblingRosco

Member
I'd be much happier with this announcement if they'd gotten this peer-reviewed and accepted for publication instead of reporting results that are only a few weeks old. I mean, I am not necessarily surprised that it's possible, but this is a fairly sloppy means of announcing a scientific discovery.

Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
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You're telling me you'd prefer to starve to death on Mars instead of risking contamination?

Besides, what do you think happens to all the bacteria in his GI tract when he starves to death, dies, and eventually decays on Mars?
 
H

Himynameischris

Member
Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
Click to expand...

I think that kinda goes out the window when the dude needs to survive
 
W

Woorloog

Banned
XiaNaphryz said:
They go over it in the article, it's not part of the bolded section though. :p
Click to expand...

So they're trying a "hybrid" soil.
I'd expect Martian regolith to be worse though. Earth's ground has organic compounds, molecules, whatever, even in inhospitable places, no?

By far the biggest value in this research seems to be that it is applicable here on Earth for inhospitable places.
 
L

LookAtMeGo

Member
I wonder how much the effects of Mars gravity would have on its growth.

Edit: I'm curious if 38% of earths gravity is enough to promote healthy rooth growth and shit. I'm willing to bet it will make it a little more difficult then just growing them in a similar weather/climate.
 
J

jack_package_200

Banned
Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
Click to expand...

Considering it was a life and death situation, I doubt anyone would care.
 
M

Mammoth Jones

Member
Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
Click to expand...

1. Die

2. Respect a dead planet.

Pick One.
 
A

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I'm pretty happy that "international potato center" is a real thing.
 
S

*Splinter

Member
Mom, I have great news!

I found a job! I can't wait to start!

I'm going to be working at the International Potato Centre!

...

Mom?
 
nekkid

nekkid

It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
Click to expand...

You replied to a quote that answers your question.

"Fuck you, Mars"
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
Lucky Forward said:
That reminds me of a question I had after watching The Martian. Doesn't NASA go to great lengths to sterilize any martian lander so as to not contaminate the planet with terrestrial bacteria? So didn't Matt Damon's character show a pretty wanton and reckless disregard for that ethic when he mixed human waste into the martian soil? Did they address this at all in the film or novel?
Click to expand...

They address it by way of Matt Damon's character not wanting to die
 
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