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martyb [soylentnews.org] writes:

Clover growth in Mars-like soils boosted by bacterial symbiosis [sciencedaily.com]:

As Earth's population grows, researchers are studying the possibility of farming Martian soils, or "regolith." However, regolith is lacking in some essential plant nutrients, including certain nitrogen-containing molecules that plants require to live. Therefore, agriculture on Mars will require strategies to increase the amount of these nitrogen compounds in regolith.

[...] To explore a possible role for symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in astroagriculture, the researchers grew clover in man-made regolith that closely matches that of Mars. They inoculated some of the plants with the microbe Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is commonly found in clover root nodules on Earth.

[...] The researchers found that the inoculated clover experienced 75% more root and shoot growth compared to the uninoculated clover.

[...] These findings suggest the possibility that symbiosis between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria could aid agriculture on Mars. Future research could continue to explore such relationships with other crops and address issues with plant toxicity in regolith.

Journal Reference:
Franklin Harris, John Dobbs, David Atkins, et al. Soil fertility interactions with Sinorhizobium-legume symbiosis in a simulated Martian regolith; effects on nitrogen content and plant health, PLOS ONE (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257053 [doi.org])

Original Submission