ARU gardening expert will discuss if plants could, or should, grow on the Red Planet
A talk at the Chelmsford Science Festival will explore research into new farming methods that could potentially grow plants on Mars – and the moral question of whether humans should cultivate another planet even if they could.
In the 2015 film The Martian, stranded astronaut, Mark Watney, managed to grow potatoes. Recently SpaceX owner Elon Musk has spoken of a desire to set foot on Mars , and potentially colonise the Red Planet. However, the colonisation of Mars would depend on the ability to grow plants.
During the free talk at Anglia Ruskin University's Chelmsford campus, ARU horticulture expert Mick Lavelle will discuss some modern farming techniques, drawing on research into vertical farming being carried out at ARU Writtle, and how these could make it possible to cultivate life in hostile environments such as Mars.
The talk, A Practical Guide to Gardening on Mars , explores the difficulties this poses and the ways it may be achieved, as well as the ethics of taking organic matter to another planet.
Research published in peer-reviewed journals earlier this year by ARU Writtle showed the success of vertical farming systems, using LED lighting, in stimulating growth in strawberries and in lavender, a valuable plant for essential oil production.
These new studies show that vertical farming using artificial light is not only feasible, but can actually be more productive than traditional farming techniques.
The research into lavender, to be published in the November edition of the journal Industrial Crops and Products, shows that plants grown in these conditions had greater root emergence, root biomass, chlorophyll content, flower bud emergence, and a higher root-to-shoot ratio compared to lavender crops growing in glasshouses under normal lighting conditions.
Another study, published in June, found that certain LED lighting conditions stimulated flower bud emergence in strawberries more than four times more effectively than a control group. LED lighting also appeared to stimulate more chlorophyll content – a crucial element in plant growth because it enables plants to absorb the energy from light.
Mick will also examine whether the desire of wealthy individuals to create life on another planet, and the willingness to strive for it, should be a cue to being better at solving sustainability issues and food production on Earth.
Mick, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Management at ARU Writtle, said:
"Mars has an allure to the super-rich due to the hostility of the planet and its reputation through films and science, not to mention the challenge of achieving something that was previously thought impossible – bringing life to Mars.
"Some new farming techniques do mean this is theoretically possible, and I will draw on our research here at ARU Writtle during the talk.
"Whether we could grow plants on Mars is a seductive question, but the bigger one is, should we? With climate change already ravaging the developing world and millions of people going hungry, perhaps our desire and willingness to use new scientific techniques to cultivate another planet could be better put to use closer to home."
The talk will take place at ARU's Chelmsford campus on Thursday, 24 October from 7.30pm until 9pm. It is free to attend, but places must be booked by visiting https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-practical-guide-to-gardening-on-mars-tickets-1027968420217
