Asystematic analysis of 40 years of studies on public crop breeding programs found that cereal grains receive significantly more research attention than other crops important for food security, such as fruits and vegetables; only 33% of studies sought input from both men and women household members; and there is significantly less research in South America, the Middle East and North Africa than in sub-Saharan Africa.
Common plant could help reduce food insecurity, researchers find
Story by Jeff Mulhollem • 2d
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r … &FORM=VIRE
Quote:
Azolla (Azolla caroliniana) - A Water Plant You Need to Know About!
The plant is a bit like duckweed in its life cycle, but can fix Nitrogen which could be important on Mars.
It also does not need soil, which could be an advantage.
Done
]]>1. Chilies
Chilies are a fabulous ingredient in the kitchen, adding a kick to curries, stir-fries, pasta dishes, and everything in-between. And if you're short on space and have opted for one of the best mini greenhouses then they're a brilliant addition.
Learning how to grow chilies is relatively simple. They love bright light, shelter, and warmth, which makes them the perfect match for greenhouses. Start off the seeds in a heated propagator if your greenhouse is unheated, or indoors on a sunny windowsill, covered with a clear plastic bag. Once germinated, remove them from the propagator (or take away the bag). Transplant seedlings into individual pots when leaves appear. The RHS advises to keep them at a temperature of 60–64ºF (16–18ºC) and water regularly.
From the ferociously hot Scotch Bonnet 'Animo Red' to the sweet and mild 'Trinidad Perfume', there are all kinds of varieties to try. And don't forget that as well as using them fresh, you can dry them to add to dishes all year-round.
2. Tomatoes
Learning how to grow tomatoes is an easy skill that will reward you with the most delicious summer fruits. As they are tender plants, they do very well in greenhouses, offering a longer growing season than those grown outdoors.
You can choose between bush or cordon varieties. Bush ones don't require staking or pinching out, so are often the best type to start with if you're a beginner. Whichever you choose, providing some sort of shade in the very height of summer can be useful to prevent tough skins.
Put pots of sown seeds on a warm, bright windowsill or in a propagator to encourage them to germinate. When it's time to transplant them into their final positions, gardening expert Monty Don of Gardeners' World advises to plant them deeply – 'at least up to the first leaves.' This will encourage them to grow more roots.
3. Cucumbers
Learning how to grow cucumbers is another top choice for what to plant in a greenhouse. These delicious veggies are perfect for summer salads or sandwiches. Plus, homegrown ones taste so much better than ones bought in the shops.
It is important to note that there are two types of cucumbers: ones suitable for growing in greenhouses and ones that are grown outdoors. Greenhouse varieties provide long, smooth cucumbers. If you opt for an 'all female' type, you won't need to pinch out the male flowers (these are the ones that don't have immature fruits growing behind them).
Cucumbers are another crop that can be trained upwards, saving on space. Don't let them get too cold – the RHS recommends keeping the plants above 53–59°F (12–15°C).
Best time to plant: Mid-February to mid-March if you're growing them in a heated greenhouse and April for unheated greenhouses
4. Aubergines
There are lots of decisions to be made when it comes to choosing a greenhouse. If you opt for a heated one, you can start some crops earlier. In the case of aubergines, this can be as early as January.
Transplant plants to their final position in spring. You'll need to provide stakes for most varieties to support the heavy fruits. Mist the leaves and water regularly, and feed periodically with a high potassium fertilizer when fruits begin to appear.
They're a delicious and versatile ingredient and can be the real star of the show in many vegetarian dishes.
Best time to plant: January if growing in a heated greenhouse, otherwise February onwards.
5. Potatoes
If you learn how to grow potatoes in your greenhouse during the leaner months, you'll give yourself and your family a supply all year long. Plus, the greenhouse will keep them frost-free.
If your greenhouse is a smaller design, you can grow potatoes in bags, containers, or a barrel. You do need to chit them first – this is when you encourage them to sprout before you plant them in your greenhouse. You can do this in January and February, then plant them in your container about six weeks later when the shoots are about an inch high.
Best time to plant: Early spring
6. Brussels sprouts
They may have had a bad rep over the years. But with some simple cooking skills, there are ways to transform the humble sprout into a delicious side dish. Plus, Brussels sprouts are a great source of vitamin C and folate, and the 'Brodie' variety has good holding ability and is disease resistant.
Sow seeds in a greenhouse for a head start. You can then plant them outdoors in early summer. There's more advice on how to grow Brussels sprouts in our guide.
Best time to plant: February
7. Peas
If you sow peas early enough, they will be ready for your plate in early spring. Sow them alongside other hardy plants like leeks and sprouts, so that once the warmer weather appears you can plant them out.
Peas do like a bit of warmth to aid their growth, so investing in a heated propagator could be worth it. This particular variety of pea pictured above can also be used in salads and is highly nutritious and easy to grow. It also provides a second crop a few weeks later.
Best time to plant: February onwards
8. Kale
Full of nutritional value and called a 'superfood', this dwarf variety of kale was introduced before 1865 and produces an abundance of tender and delicate densely curled green leaves, of which the younger ones are perfect for salads.
For salads, you can sow it all year round in your greenhouse. But, if you want it to mature then you should transplant seedlings five weeks after sowing into rich firm soil outdoors, with plenty of well-rotted manure dug in.
Best time to plant: Early spring if aiming to plant out
9. Cabbages
If you start your summer cabbages off in late winter, they'll be ready for planting outdoors in the spring. They are a 'cool season' veg, which means they do well in greenhouses when it's colder.
Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, some varieties are delicious eaten raw as well as cooked. All you need to do is sow some seeds in a tray with compost, water well, and watch them grow until they are ready for transplanting into larger pots.
As the weather gets warmer, get them accustomed to outdoor temperatures by placing them outside during the day, then plant them out around 18in (45cm) apart in raised garden beds.
Best time to plant: Late February to early March
10. Melons
A slice of juicy, fragrant melon is a real treat on a summer's day. These crops thrive in heat and humidity. So, if you have a greenhouse, it's not too tricky to grow your own.
They need fertile and moisture-retentive soil. If space is at a premium, consider growing your melons vertically. Keep watering regularly, until the fruit begins to ripen, then reduce. Similar to growing tomatoes, provide shading if it's very sunny.
It's also important to provide ventilation when the plants are in flower – this will allow the crops to be pollinated, as the RHS explains.
Cantaloupe are firm favorites with their sweet, orange flesh. Alternatively, how about learning how to grow watermelon with our guide?
Best time to plant: Early to mid-spring
Its not just about what to grow as how much to plant and when so as to get the best of the food for the diet that we willl have to deal with.
]]>https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-awards- … 34415.html
United Press International
NASA awards $2.3 million to study growing food in lunar dust
Mark Moran
Wed, November 22, 2023 at 1:16 AM EST·1 min read
3UPI
An illustration depicts NASA's Viper rover making tracks in the lunar dust as it travels near the moon's South Pole. Image courtesy of NASA
Nov. 22 (UPI) -- NASA has awarded $2.3 million to scientists to study how to grow vegetation in lunar soil as human exploration prepares to go beyond Earth's atmosphere, scientists said Tuesday.Researchers say their priorities are advancing work that will grow organisms in lunar soil as part of the Thrive in DEep Space, or TIDES, program.
"The ultimate goal of the TIDES initiative is to enable long-duration space missions and improve life on Earth through innovative research," NASA said in a statement. "Space Biology supported research will enable the study of the effects of environmental stressors in spaceflight on model organisms, that will both inform future fundamental research, as well as provide valuable information that will better enable human exploration of deep space."
The projects will test how lunar soil, also known as regolith, works as a "growth substrate" for crop-producing plants "including grains, tomatoes and potatoes," NASA said.
Researchers will also work to understand how growth in lunar regolith influences plant and microbial interactions, and how in turn, these interactions affect plant development and health. They will identify and test bioremediation methods and techniques to enhance the ability of regolith to act as a growth substrate, and understand how lunar dust exposure impacts host and microbial interactions "in human-analogous model systems under simulated microgravity conditions," the NASA release continued.
11 grants have been awarded to ten institutions in nine states
The research, which will run from 2024-2027, will focus on the same type of regolith NASA has located at potential landing sites for future moon exploration missions.
View comments (3)
(th)
]]>Basic chemical formulas.
Photosynthesis (overall):
6 CO2 + 6 H2O → 6 O2 + C6H12O6
That last large molecule is a simple sugar called a polysaccharide.
Cellular respiration in humans or any animal:
6O2 + C6H12O6 → 6 CO2 + 6 H2O
Notice cellular respiration is exactly the opposite of photosynthesis. Since it's a closed loop then how can plants produce 3 times as much O2 as humans need? The answer is you're not looking at the whole system.
Much of the plants are not edible by humans. There's leaves, stems, roots, etc. If you were to consume all of that, then oxygen/CO2 would be balanced. So how to do that? Biosphere 2 was an experiment in the desert. A small group of people locked themselves into a large glass greenhouse with simulations of several ecological systems. They had a separate farm or garden to grow food. Because it was built in a desert, they tried to cut cost by using local soil which was mostly sand and mix in some imported twigs. As the twigs rot they become organic matter in the soil, feeding crops. However, they forgot to take into account oxygen consumed by the bacteria that rots the twigs. The bacteria consume O2 and produce CO2. There wasn't enough O2 for the humans so they had to intake a large and measured amount of air. They also had a problem with food. They counted on beans supplying most of their protein. But the bean crop failed due to blight. They tried to clean the soil of blight, but every time they thought they succeeded, as soon as the plants were about to produce beans, the blight came back.
My point is if you include composting unused plant material, that will consume O2 and produce CO2. Also any system we discussed is not pure vegetarian. We have often discussed aquaponics. That's hydroponics integrated with aquaculture. A pure hydroponic system requires nutrient solution. A simple means to make that solution is to dissolve fertilizer in water. If your source of fertilizer is Mars dirt, then it's an open system. And industrial processing requii to extract and purify fertility from Mars dirt would require more effort and energy than just treating Mars dirt to become arable soil. Use soil in trays in a greenhouse, let plants extract the nutrients themselves. However, with aquaponics you feed the fish with parts of the plants that humans do not eat. Fish poop is used as fertilizer in hydroponics. I doubt aquaponics can provide all food humans require, but can provide a significant portion. But now factor in O2 consumed and CO2 produced by those fish.
For the Large Ship, I proposed using electrolysis across a semipermeable membrane to extract salt from human urine. On Mars you may want to extract salt from Mars dirt. Before electrolysis, a membrane would extract most but not all water. The remainder would be decomposed by bacteria. Urea is CO(NH2)2, which combines with one molecule of water to form CO2 and 2 molecules of NH3 (ammonia). The ammonia is further broken down by different bacteria to become nitrite, NO2-. Still other bacteria break that down to nitrate, NO3-. Nitrate is nitrogen fertilizer for plants. The process takes months. Uric acid and creatinine are more complex. These are most of what makes human urine but there are other compounds. You must factor CO2 produced by bacteria to breakdown urine.
Then there's human feces. For the ship, processing feces is too complex. Either composing feces or grey water sewage processing can turn feces into fertilizer. Either takes months and uses multiple species of bacteria. Something not practical on a ship, but can be done on Mars. Again, factor in CO2 produced by that bacteria.
]]>Thanks for this informative and provocative post!
In a closed environment, nothing is lost.
However, the study done by Bryce Myer provides an important datapoint for those who might be planning a closed life support system for humans away from, Earth. It would appear to be necessary to use extra energy to recover needed atoms from where they end up.
Can I offer you the challenge to try to see how that might be done? Obviously it must be done, because there are few destinations like Mars, where an open cycle system might work.
(th)
]]>Could We Turn Mars Green Sooner Than Expected?
Which states "It takes around 370 square metres to feed a single person on a vegetarian diet."
The (tentative) plan for Artemis 3 is to land two astronauts on the surface of the Moon and stay for about one week (subject to change). If a crew of two were to have an extended stay on the Moon and only eat what is grown on the Moon, it would require a growing area that is 740 square meters in size (about 8,000 square feet). (Based on SpaceNuts post of 370 square meters per person).
One thing to keep in mind, is that humans do not produce enough CO2 for a garden that is big enough to feed themselves. In other words, two astronauts on the Moon will not breath out enough CO2 that a 740 square meter garden would consume. Eventually the plants will die due to a lack of CO2, or the astronauts will die due to starvation. Bryce Meyer has pointed this out a number of times, including in the following YouTube videos. (2nd point below).
Image above is from YouTube video:
Mr. Bryce Meyer: Space Farming, Menus, and Biological Life Support: For Here and There
Image is at 24m 25s into the video.
In the following YouTube video, Bryce explains why humans cannot exhale enough CO2 to feed themselves:
Video: NSS Space Forum -Bryce Myer - Farming in Space for Future Space Settlement
At 16m 50s
"Here is the problem. You do not exhale enough carbon dioxide to feed yourself."At 17m 48s
"The CO2 required to produce enough calories for you is 1.5 times the CO2 from your breath."
Using the image above, Bryce explains why this is true.
On Mars this isn't an issue because there is plenty of CO2 in the Martian atmosphere. The Moon does not have an atmosphere, so on the Moon, finding CO2 for plants is an issue.
]]>This video goes into more detail.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pQT3_Bjo5Ns
Petrov also discusses a recent breakthrough by genticists, who were able to infuse bacteria with cadmium. The bacteria incorporated the cadmium into their cell walls, where it functions as an extremely efficient photovoltaic cell. The resulting bacteria are able to convert sunlight into acetate with 80% efficiency. That is astounding. Most crops have overall photosynthetic efficiency of 1-2%. These bacteria manage 80%. Panels containing these bacteria on the Martian surface could be used to produce acetate which then provides an energy source for indoor farms. This would allow humans on Mars to be fed using a very compact array of outdoor plastic panels.
]]>If we are serious about actually colonising Mars, we need a better solution for producing food that reduces the infrastructure needed. Greenhouse domes and polytunnels can be part of it. Thin panels containing chloroplasts can provide a source of sugar. Algae grown in panels can provide oils, carbohydrates and proteins. The trick is how to combine all of this into foods that people want to eat. Some low mass, high value ingredients can be imported from Earth. Flavourings, colourings, etc.
*******
The use of acetate as an artificial energy source for plants has been discussed on this forum before.
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/sc … ng-out-how
The production steps are: (1) Solar energy is turned into electricity by PV cells; (2) Water containing dissolved CO2 is subject to electrolysis, producing acetic acid; (3) Acetic acid reacts with a base producing an acetate salt. (4) Acetate provides an energy source for algae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, allowing them to grow in the dark. The entire process from sunlight to carbohydrates, is 4x more efficient than photosynthesis. If we assume that food plants are 1% efficient at converting sunlight to calories and taking PV panels to be 20% efficient, the conversion rate of electricity into food energy will be 20%, using the acetate route. The average human needs some 10MJ of food energy per day. If this can be produced from electricity at 20% efficiency, it equates to a continuous electric power demand of 579W. If we relied upon acetate food production entirely, then a 1 million person city could be fed by a 600MWe nuclear power supply. This will be far more compact and affordable than hundreds of square kilometres of greenhouses.
]]>Growing corn
https://extension.umn.edu/corn/growing-corn
Wheat Growers Grow Corn, Soybeans But Name's The Same
https://www.iatp.org/news/wheat-growers … s-the-same
Modified starch market size to grow by USD 2,862.71 million from 2022 to 2027
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/modified … 00584.html
Sugar Biobattery Outlasts Lithium-Ion
https://www.designnews.com/sugar-biobat … ithium-ion
A sugar battery is an emerging type of biobattery that is fueled by maltodextrin and facilitated by the enzymatic catalysts.
Sony, a Japanese corporation, first published the theory of sugar battery in 2007. This type of sugar battery is air-breathing and utilizes the oxygen as the oxidizing agent. Thermoenzymes, enzymes with high thermostability, are used as the non-immobilized enzymes to ensure stability. In the sugar battery, the thermo enzymes are produced by Escherichia coli, a kind of bacterium. Then the enzymes are purified through heat precipitation method and put into use. The battery achieved expected high energy density and reasonable output voltage. Then the company shifted its researching direction in 2012 to the paper battery, which uses paper as fuel. After 2013, Sony didn't release more information about their research project on the biobattery. The sugar battery generates electric current by the oxidation of the glucose unit of maltodextrin. The oxidation of the organic compound produces carbon dioxide and electrical current. 13 types of enzymes are planted in the battery so that the reaction goes to completion and converts most chemical energy into electrical energy. The experimental results have shown that the sugar battery of the same mass can store at least two times, up to ten times electrical energy than the traditional lithium-ion battery can. The sugar battery is expected to be the next general type of mobile electric power source and the possible power source for electric cars. But the sugar battery's output voltage(0.5V) is lower than that of the lithium-ion battery (3.6 V), which causes its electric power (the rate of electrical energy transfer) to be low. Sony, a Japanese corporation, first published the theory of sugar battery in 2007. A research team led by Dr. Y.H. Percival Zhang at Virginia Tech provided the latest version of it in 2014. In 2019, Dr. Zhang was acquitted of 19 counts but found guilty of conspiring to commit federal grant fraud. Since 2014, Several Chinese universities, including Zhejiang University and Tianjin University, started working on researches on the sugar battery. Compared to the currently widely used lithium-ion battery, the sugar battery has potential benefits in many aspects. Compared to the traditional lithium-ion battery, sugar battery does not require toxic metals in manufacturing and releases only carbon dioxide gases. The production of the standard lithium-ion battery would require several metals, including but not limited to lead (Pd), Cadmium (Cd), and Chromium (Cr). The leakage of these metals accumulates inside the vegetables and animals that humans depend on and finally reach humans. Besides, overheating may cause the lithium-ion battery to release up to 100 types of harmful gases to the human body. In some instances, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery explodes to cause a physical casualty.
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press … index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-16288107
The primary fuel of the sugar battery, maltodextrin, can be enzymatically derived from any starch, such as corn and wheat. Therefore, maltodextrin is renewable.
]]>Why Future Space Farms Depend on Plants Grown in Antarctica
https://www.yahoo.com/now/why-future-sp … 55472.html
What’s on the Menu? Food and Culture on the International Space Station
https://scitechdaily.com/whats-on-the-m … e-station/
Space Food Challenge
'NASA Announces Finalists in Challenge to Design Future Astronaut Food'
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/space … onaut-food
A first-of-its-kind coordinated effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Deep Space Food Challenge aims to kickstart future food systems for pioneering missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The multiphase technology competition invites problem-solvers around the world to design, build, and test new ways to sustain astronauts in space for months or even years at a time.
The following U.S. finalists will each receive $20,000:
InFynity (Chicago, Illinois) is utilizing a fungi protein to prepare nutritious and delicious foods.
Nolux (Riverside, California) is producing plant- and fungal-based food using artificial photosynthesis.
Mu Mycology (Hillboro, Oregon) uses a closed-loop mushroom cultivation system allowing for scalable growth of various edible mushrooms.
Kernel Deltech USA (Cape Canaveral, Florida) produces inactivated fungal biomass using a continuous cultivation technique.
Interstellar Lab (Merritt Island, Florida) produces fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects to provide micronutrients for long-tern space missions.
Far Out Foods (St. Paul, Minnesota) developed a nearly closed-loop food production system called the Exo-Garden that is capable of producing a variety of mushrooms and hydroponic vegetables.
SATED (Boulder, Colorado), or Safe Appliance, Tidy, Efficient, & Delicious, cooks a variety of well-known foods from long-shelf-life ingredients.
Air Company (Brooklyn, New York) developed a system that captures carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts, combined with hydrogen made with water electrolysis, to produce alcohol that is then fed to an edible yeast to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.Additionally, NASA and CSA jointly recognized three international finalist teams from outside the U.S. and Canada:
Enigma of the Cosmos (Melbourne, Australia) created a food production system with an adaptive growing platform that could increase the efficiency by at least 40%.
Solar Foods (Lappeenranta, Finland) uses gas fermentation to produce single-cell proteins.
Mycorena (Gothenburg, Sweden) developed a circular production system utilizing a mix of microalgae and fungi, resulting in a microprotein using minimal resources while generating minimal waste.
Those could be moved into and out of the canal. Sadly, some of the crops they mention would not like nighttime's just a fraction above freezing. But for some it would work just fine. So, these would actually be some table foods we would be familiar with or could adapt to.
Here are some cold hardy plants: https://gilmour.com/cold-weather-crops# … 20Beans%20
Here are some more: https://www.outdoorapothecary.com/cold-weather-crops/
Quote:Here’s a handy list of cold weather crops to consider for growing in the fall and winter.
Arugula 30-40 days to harvest
Beet 50-65 days to harvest
Broccoli 60-70 days to harvest
Cabbage 50-65 days to harvest
Carrots 55-75 days to harvest
Cauliflower 65-75 days to harvest
Cilantro 60-75 days to harvest
Collards 55-60 days to harvestGarlic in the spring
Kale 45-60 days to harvest
Kohlrabi 55-65 days to harvest
Lettuce 45-60 days to harvest
Leek 85-105 in ground all winter
Mustard 30-50 days to harvest
Green bunching onion 55-60 days to harvest
Snap Peas 55-60 days to harvest
Radish 25-40 days to harvest
Spinach 37-50 days to harvest
Swiss Chard 50-60 days to harvest
Turnip 45-60 days to harvestIf you wanted to do things like Tomato's, you would likely need a heater method. That could be passive solar storage actually. Perhaps a tank of water under the plant bed that absorbed heat from the day. It would need good insulation under and on the sides of it. But then each thing that has to be fussed with has to be justified in a cost benefit analysis.