Which plant has the best chance to “conquer” other planets? <\/p>\n
Space exploration is impossible without the creation of autonomous life support systems, where plants play a key role. Scientists have already identified the “favorites” that have the greatest chances of becoming the basis of the diet for future colonists on the Moon or Mars.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, biological sciences candidate Aleksey Kovalenko<\/strong> shared his insights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Read also: <\/strong>Not orchids: the scientist revealed which flower is actually the oldest in the world<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n Main points:<\/strong><\/p>\n What is already blooming and growing in space<\/p>\n Experiments on space stations have proven that plants can not only grow but also complete their entire development cycle in microgravity conditions. In particular, zinnias (majors) have even bloomed.<\/p>\n “The highest chances of conquering other planets belong to lettuce<\/strong>, which has already been grown in space. Many other plants can also be cultivated, as long as they are not too demanding in terms of substrate, lighting, etc.,” says Kovalenko.<\/p>\n Another promising crop for space is legumes<\/strong>. They are considered a primary source of plant protein for astronauts. Additionally, they naturally enrich the soil with nitrogen, which is critically important for future greenhouses.<\/p>\n “Grains<\/strong> are also an excellent choice for space because they have a short growing cycle and are not as demanding as many other plants,” the scientist adds.<\/p>\n Will potatoes be grown on Mars<\/p>\n At the same time, the plot of the popular sci-fi film “The Martian,” where the main character grew potatoes on the Red Planet, is questioned by the scientist.<\/p>\n “The Martian substrate has sharp regolith crystals that negatively affect plants. If we imagine that there will be colonies on Mars, it is unlikely that potatoes will be grown there right away. The most promising will be algae and fungi,” says Kovalenko.<\/p>\n Read also about how some plants have evolved into predators over millions of years, capable of hunting living beings. Such species also grow in the wild in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Previously, we reported that due to climate change, some crop species, particularly coffee and bananas, are under threat. These trees are being destroyed by pests.<\/p>\n Source: rbc.ua +rel=\u201dnofollow\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Which plant has the best chance of “conquering” other planets? Space exploration is impossible without the creation of autonomous life support systems, where plants play a key role. Scientists have already identified the “favorites” that have the greatest chance of becoming the foundation of the diet for future colonists on the Moon or Mars. Source: rbc.ua\u201d +rel=\u201dnofollow\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"magazine_newspaper_sidebar_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-en"],"yoast_head":"\n\n