Spuds in space: We probably can grow Mars potatoes, says new study
Two years after a humble potato patch co-starred in "The Martian," scientists have found that fictional astronaut Mark Watney鈥檚 strategy for surviving on the Red Planet could actually work.
Early last year, a spud was planted in soil from Peru鈥檚 Pampas de La Joya desert, which boasts 鈥�,鈥� according to NASA scientist Chris McKay. The experiment, sponsored by the International Potato Center (CIP), took place in a CubeSat built by Peru鈥檚 University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) with guidance from NASA鈥檚 Ames Research Center.
鈥淚f 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,鈥� explains UTEC鈥檚 Julio Valdivia-Silva.
, at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, shows the potato in bloom, giving hope to both future astronauts and Earthlings at risk of famine. [聽An earlier version misstated the location of the CubeSat.]
鈥淭his [research] could have a direct technological benefit on Earth and a direct biological benefit on Earth,鈥� Dr. McKay predicts.
In 2015, were reported to be undernourished globally. While that represents a decline from previous years, the UN鈥檚 Food and Agriculture Organization reports that it .
While they鈥檝e fallen short at times 鈥� most famously in the Irish Famine of the 1840s 鈥� potatoes are a prime candidate to feed a warmer, more populous world. Versatile and nutritious, potatoes are already , and rank in the 鈥渦pper echelon鈥� of crops that researchers hope will ensure future food security.
The International Potato Center , capable of growing everywhere from the windswept plains of Idaho to the salty coasts of Bangladesh 鈥� and, hopefully, in a climate-controlled facility on Mars.
When the 鈥淧otatoes on Mars鈥� experiment began, researchers weren鈥檛 sure how far the benefits would reach.
鈥淚f Martian soil can't sustain potato farming,鈥� 海角大神 reported last April, 鈥渋t might be possible to grow the spuds without soil by hydroponics and aeroponics.... Hydroponics deliver nutrients in water, while aeroponics deliver them by air.鈥� That outcome would likely still have value; NASA says that spacecraft-grown plants.
But with a potato able to grow in simulated Martian soil, the results of this experiment 鈥� and follow-up testing 鈥� are also likely to be reaped by low-tech subsistence farmers around the world.
As explained by CIP potato breeder Walter Amoros, 鈥淭he 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.鈥�
[Editor's note: An earlier version of the headline overstated the impact of the researchers' findings.]
