New findings indicate gene-edited rice might survive in Martian soil

Andy Weir’s bestselling 2011 guide, “The Martian,” options botanist Mark Watney’s efforts to develop meals on Mars after he turns into stranded there. Whereas Watney’s preliminary efforts give attention to rising potatoes, new analysis introduced on the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference by a staff of interdisciplinary researchers from the U of A suggests future Martian botanists like Watney could have a greater possibility: rising rice.

As outlined within the staff’s summary, “Rice Can Develop and Survive in Martian Regolith with Challenges That Could possibly be Overcome By way of Management of Stress-Associated Genes,” one of many greatest challenges to rising meals on Mars is the presence of perchlorate salts, which have been detected within the planet’s soil and are typically thought-about to be poisonous for crops.

The staff was in a position to simulate Martian soil utilizing basaltic wealthy soil mined from the Mojave Desert, referred to as the Mojave Mars Simulant, or MMS, which was developed by scientists from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The groups then grew three forms of rice, together with one wild-type and two gene-edited traces with genetic mutations that higher allow them to reply to stress, akin to drought, sugar hunger or salinity. These varieties have been grown within the MMS, in addition to a daily potted combine and a hybrid of the 2. Whereas crops have been in a position to develop within the Martian simulant, they weren’t as developed as these grown within the potting soil and hybrid combine. Changing only a quarter of the Martian simulant with potting soil resulted in improved growth.

The staff additionally experimented with the quantity of perchlorate within the soil, discovering that 3 grams per kilogram was the brink past which nothing would develop, whereas mutant strains may nonetheless root in 1 gram per kilogram.

Their findings recommend that there could be a manner ahead for genetically modified rice to search out buy in Martian soil.

Subsequent steps will embrace experimenting with a more moderen Martian soil simulant referred to as the Mars International Simulant, in addition to different rice strains which have elevated tolerance for increased salt concentrations. An necessary a part of the analysis shall be figuring out to what diploma perchlorate could also be leeching into the plant from the soil. Farther down the highway, the researchers want to introduce rice right into a closed habitat chamber and place it in a Mars simulation chamber that replicates the temperature and environment of the planet.

Whether or not people ever colonize Mars, the staff’s analysis may have purposes right here on Earth. Second creator on the summary, Abhilash Ramachandran, a post-doctoral fellow on the Arkansas Middle for House and Planetary Sciences, famous that he spoke with an Australian researcher from an space the place the soil had excessive salinity, and noticed their work as a possible solution to develop meals there. He added, “We may use Earth as a terrestrial analog earlier than the seeds ever get despatched to Mars.”

First creator on the summary, Peter James Gann, a doctoral pupil in cell and molecular biology, mentioned that the challenge started when he met Ramachandran for espresso within the pupil union. “He was new right here on the college, and we shared the issues we have been doing in our respective laboratories. Since he works on planetary science, and I concentrate on cell and molecular biology, we determined to check out crops.”

They have been joined by co-authors Yheni Dwiningsih, a post-doctoral affiliate in plant sciences; Dominic Dharwadker, an undergraduate student within the Honors School; and Vibha Srivastava, a professor within the Division of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences who has a joint appointment with the U of A System Division of Agriculture.