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The Effects of Nitrogen and Rhizobium on Plant Growth in Lunar Soil(Simulant)

CSEF · 2023 Plant Biology Third Award

Tran Isabelle · 7

Overview

The Artemis mission has sparked curiosity about a self-sustaining lunar colony. This experiment’s purpose was to emulate earth soil fertility in a lunar simulant using two essential nutrients, rhizobium, and nitrogen. The lunar environment lacks both, so a nitrogen supplement for plant growth, ammonium sulfate phosphorus, was used in varying levels of 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%. Rhizobium, a symbiotic bacteria, fixed the nitrogen into a usable form for plants. My results revealed the difficulties in plant growth in lunar soil, with qualities like compactness and high water absorbency seeming to have a significant effect. The presence of nitrogen in an optimal range is necessary, as either too much or too little can inhibit growth. Furthermore, the role of rhizobium is unclear but may be beneficial. Overall, there seem to be certain factors in earth soil besides nitrogen and rhizobium necessary for plant growth.

Source coverage

This record comes from a published award list, not a complete project archive. Its abstract comes from CSEF's public project showcase as archived by the Internet Archive before judging (https://web.archive.org/web/20230401224130/https://ca-csef.zfairs.com/showcase/ShowcaseInfo?f=838e60b7-ea75-46e8-865c-fde4864244b3); the version presented may differ.

Awards (1)

Competition history

  • CSEF 2023 Plant Biology · Entry J1813

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