{"id":3636,"date":"2020-08-31T18:04:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-31T23:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/astrobotany.com\/?p=3636"},"modified":"2021-04-18T15:31:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-18T20:31:30","slug":"lets-grow-beans-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/lets-grow-beans-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Let&#8217;s Grow Beans in Space!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although they seem like normal, everyday plants, <strong>beans<\/strong> have a hidden superpower that could make them indispensable crops for spaceflight.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-768x513.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups-272x182.jpeg 272w, https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups.jpeg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><sub>credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@bkcloading\">Kien Cuong Bui<\/a><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What makes them special?<\/strong><\/h3><p>Beans, peas, and the other members of the family Fabaceae are called <strong>legumes<\/strong>, and many legumes are able to do something that other plants can\u2019t: they can make <strong>root nodules<\/strong>. Essentially, root nodules form when root cells send out chemical signals to attract bacteria, the bacteria enter the root cells, and the root forms a special \u201cnodule\u201d of root tissue around the bacteria. The root nodule provides everything the bacteria need to survive (like oxygen and sugar), and in return the bacteria produce nitrogenase, a form of nitrogen that plants can absorb. Nitrogen is abundant in the air, but most organisms cannot use it in this gaseous form\u2014only nitrogen-fixing organisms like these bacteria can fix nitrogen into an organic form that other organisms (like plants and animals) can use. Nitrogen is one of the primary nutrients that all organisms need to survive, and is a key component of fertilizers. Legumes don\u2019t need to be fertilized with nitrogen as often as non-legumes, which could make legumes even more useful as space crops.<\/p><div style=\"height:33px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legumes in Space<\/strong><\/h3><p>Although legumes are vital to global agriculture, we\u2019ve only grown legumes in space a handful of times. Around 1980, pea seedlings were grown in the Oasis 1AM to study the organelles in the meristem and root cap. Between 2003 and 2005, Russian cosmonauts grew pea plants in LADA to study pea growth, development, and genetic status in space. Astronauts grew soybean briefly in the ADVASC, and lentils in the EMCS. Several other studies have examined legume seeds that were sent into space but were germinated back on Earth.<\/p><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p>Unfortunately, none of these experiments examined root nodulation in space. This is a problem because the astronauts and plants on long-duration missions will need nitrogen to survive, and chemical nitrogen fixation is too energy-intensive to be feasible. Mining minerals from the Moon and Mars wouldn\u2019t solve this problem either\u2014we\u2019ve found all essential minerals for plants in lunar and martian soils <em>except reactive nitrogen<\/em>. In order to address the gap in legume research, a group called Magnitude.io is planning to send a legume to space, with the help of school-age children across the world. They will send their space plant growth chamber, ExoLab-8, to the ISS in February of 2021, and k-12 classrooms across the world are conducting their own ground trials to prepare for the mission. Not only is Magnitude.io preparing to address the gap in legume research, but they\u2019re also helping children learn about astrobotany and contribute to real-life research.<\/p><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p>A few previous studies indicate that nitrogen-fixing bacteria can bind to roots and start developing nodules in microgravity, so legumes will probably be able to develop nodules next February. But until we see the results of Magnitude.io\u2019s experiment, many questions will remain unanswered. Please keep your eye out in spring of 2021 to learn the results of this research! Studying legume root nodules on the ISS will bring us a few steps closer to the next goalpost: growing enough food crops to feed astronauts on the journey to Mars.<\/p><p>Let&#8217;s grow beans in space!<\/p><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/><p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/europepmc.org\/article\/med\/16536032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Growth, development and genetic status of pea plants cultivated in space greenhouse &#8220;LADA&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/en.cnki.com.cn\/Article_en\/CJFDTotal-KJKB6S1.024.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Influences Of Space Condition On Three Legume Forages<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ntrs.nasa.gov\/search.jsp?R=19830023012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ultrastructure of meristem and root cap of pea seedlings under spaceflight conditions<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s12217-018-9619-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Impact of Simulated Microgravity on the Growth of Different Genotypes of the Model Legume Plant <em>Medicago truncatula<\/em><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/scitable\/knowledge\/library\/the-nitrogen-cycle-processes-players-and-human-15644632\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Nitrogen Cycle: Processes, Players, and Human Impact<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0103138\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Can Plants Grow on Mars and the Moon: A Growth Experiment on Mars and Moon Soil Simulants<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/0273117794904014\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Clover development during spaceflight: A model system<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/2020\/04\/18\/help-choose-the-right-legume-for-space\/\">Help Choose The Right Legume for Space!<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/magnitude.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Magnitude.io<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.issnationallab.org\/blog\/magnitude-io-exolab-7-research-ngcrs13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Engaging Students in Research on Nitrogen Fixation in Microgravity<\/a><\/li><\/ul><script data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4857359479760947\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although they seem like normal, everyday plants, beans have a hidden superpower that could make them indispensable crops for spaceflight. What makes them special? Beans, peas, and the other members of the family Fabaceae are called legumes, and many legumes are able to do something that other plants can\u2019t: they can make root nodules. Essentially, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":3657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/beancups.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3636"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4339,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636\/revisions\/4339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astrobotany.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}