Author(s) :

Shreya Rajeev, Aditya Rajeev.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

A significant challenge in establishing sustainable human settlements on the Moon lies in cultivating food within extraterrestrial environments. Lunar regolith, the Moon’s surface material, is composed of rock fragments, minerals, and volcanic glass, and poses substantial limitations for plant growth due to its lack of essential nutrients. This study employs statistical regression analysis to evaluate the correlation and impact of microbial additives and nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N-P-K) fertilizers on the growth of bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seeds in a lunar soil simulant. The microbial additive used, TPS Plant Foods Billions of Microbes, contains five strains of Bacillus bacteria, four strains of mycorrhizae, and one strain of Trichoderma. The fertilizer applied was Fruit & Bloom Booster NPK 2-15-15. Bush beans were chosen for their rapid germination, resilience to temperature fluctuations, and disease resistance. Specific regression analyses were conducted to assess the individual and combined effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and microbial inputs on plant growth. The results demonstrated that both TPS Billions and nitrogen significantly enhanced plant growth, as evidenced by a 500–2000% increase in number of leaves and leaf area in the 60% lunar soil mixture. These findings suggest that targeted microbial and nitrogen-based amendments can effectively support plant cultivation in lunar regolith, offering valuable insights for future lunar agricultural systems and long-term human habitation.