Student uses black soldier flies to grow pea plants in simulated Martian soil
An aerospace engineering student at Texas A&M University, Emmanuel Mendoza, uses black soldier flies to grow pea plants in simulated Martian soil. Incorporating 10% insect waste, or "frass," optimizes plant growth, showcasing potential for sustainable agriculture in space and on Earth.
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An aerospace engineering student at Texas A&M University, Emmanuel Mendoza, is conducting experiments using black soldier flies to grow pea plants in simulated Martian soil. Mendoza's interest in sustainable agriculture for long-term space environments led him to explore the potential of using insect waste, known as "frass," as a soil supplement. Through his research, Mendoza found that incorporating 10% frass into Martian soil optimized plant growth, demonstrating that plants can thrive in such conditions. His work highlights the potential of utilizing natural resources to support agriculture both in space and on Earth. Mendoza's interdisciplinary approach, combining aerospace engineering, entomology, and agriculture, aims to develop innovative farming techniques for challenging environments. By presenting his findings at conferences and continuing his experiments, Mendoza hopes to contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture practices for future space missions and on our planet.
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10 comments"As a byproduct of digesting this biomatter, the black soldier fly larvae produce frass, which is essentially insect waste."
"Even with 0% frass, he saw flowering and pod growth in plants potted entirely in Martian soil."
"Mendoza found that exceeding anything greater than 50% frass would destroy the plant's ability to grow but adding 10% frass to the Martian soil was the optimum amount for plant growth."
There's no information on growth rate delta between 0% and 10%.
I expected this article to say that plants do not grow naturally in Martian soil, but that the frass provides sufficient nutrients for them to grow. Instead, I learned that plants do grow in natural (simulated?) Martian soil, that an amendment helps an undefined amount, but that too much of the amendment kills the plants. I didn't find that especially compelling.
Source: Several Kratky method veggies growing on my balcony.
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