• Scientific team grows chickpeas in simulated Moon soil
• Worm compost and fungi support plant growth

A team of scientists successfully grew chickpeas using soil designed to mimic the Moon’s surface, marking a promising step toward the possibility of cultivating food on the lunar surface in the future.

Researchers mixed the simulated lunar soil with worm compost and beneficial fungi that protect plants from heavy metals, enabling chickpeas to grow and produce a harvest in soil that normally cannot sustain plant life.

Sara Santos, the project’s lead researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, said the results represent an important step toward understanding the feasibility of growing crops on the Moon, highlighting the need to transform “lunar dust” into fertile soil using natural mechanisms and organic materials.

Lunar soil, known as “regolith,” covers the Moon’s surface and lacks the microbes and organic matter essential for plant growth. While it contains useful minerals, it also has heavy metals that can harm plants.

To improve the growth environment, the team mixed the simulated lunar soil with nutrient-rich worm compost containing beneficial microbes. Chickpea seeds were coated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to enhance nutrient absorption and reduce heavy metal uptake.

Experiments showed that chickpeas could grow in a mixture containing up to 75% simulated lunar soil, while higher proportions reduced growth.

The beneficial fungi helped plants survive longer under challenging conditions, indicating their crucial role in supporting sustainable growth on the Moon.

Despite the success, further research is needed to determine whether the plants absorb harmful metals and if they provide the essential nutrients needed for astronauts.