Scientists have taken another step toward growing food beyond Earth by successfully producing chickpeas in simulated moon soil. The research offers insight into how astronauts might one day cultivate crops during long missions to the Moon.
A team from the University of Texas at Austin, working alongside researchers from Texas A&M University, conducted the experiment using a material designed to mimic lunar regolith — the powdery surface layer that covers the Moon.
Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, show that chickpeas can germinate, grow, and even produce seeds under certain conditions when planted in this artificial lunar environment.
Lunar regolith presents major challenges for agriculture, like growing chickpeas in moon soil. Unlike soil on Earth, it contains no organic matter or living microorganisms that help plants grow.
While the material does contain minerals useful for plant development, it can also hold metals that may hinder growth. In addition, the structure of the dust-like material restricts the movement of water and air, placing stress on plant roots.
To overcome these limitations, researchers experimented with ways to improve the simulated soil. The team combined the lunar regolith simulant with vermicompost, a nutrient-rich material created through the digestion of organic waste by earthworms. The compost provides essential nutrients and introduces helpful microbes that plants normally rely on in natural soils.
Testing ways to help crops grow in lunar soil
The simulated Moon soil used in the experiment was produced by Exolith Labs and modeled after lunar samples collected during NASA’s Apollo missions. Researchers planted chickpea seeds in mixtures containing different ratios of the simulant and compost.
Some seeds were also treated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a type of fungus that forms a beneficial partnership with plant roots. This relationship helps plants absorb nutrients and water, particularly in difficult growing environments.
Results showed that chickpea plants were able to sprout in every mixture tested. However, the plants experienced greater stress as the proportion of lunar simulant increased. Symptoms included slower growth, smaller leaves, fewer branches, and yellowing foliage.
Despite these difficulties, plants grown in mixtures containing up to 75% simulated lunar soil still produced chickpeas when the seeds were inoculated with AMF.
Survival limits in pure lunar simulant
When the growing medium consisted entirely of simulated lunar soil, plants struggled significantly. None survived long enough to flower. Still, the presence of beneficial fungi extended plant survival by roughly two weeks compared with untreated plants.
Seed production also declined as the amount of simulant increased, although the size of the chickpea seeds remained relatively consistent. Researchers also observed that the fungi successfully colonized plant roots even in the harshest soil mixture, suggesting they could survive in extreme conditions.
Study lead Sara Santos of the University of Texas at Austin said the research aims to determine whether lunar regolith can eventually be converted into a usable substrate for agriculture during future space missions.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M doctoral student Jessica Atkin noted that scientists must still evaluate the nutritional quality of the chickpeas and ensure harmful metals do not accumulate in edible parts.
The study also found that fungal treatments helped improve the structure of the simulated soil, hinting that biological processes could gradually make lunar regolith more suitable for farming during long-term missions.