We have been growing lettuce in space for years. Now we have discovered that they are more likely to get sick

Bad news for astronauts who usually eat healthy. That is, for all astronauts. The crew members ago of the International Space Station consume the vegetables that they themselves cultivate in microgravity: lettuce, peppers, radishes. Some spicy Chile.

More recently, vegetables have joined the autoconsumo astronauts of the Chinese Space Stationwhich already has lettuce, cherry tomatoes and chivesalthough it does not carry so much in orbit. The problem is that space salads They are not as safe for consumption as we thought.

A team of researchers from the University of Delaware has discovered that lettuce and others Microgravity cultivated vegetables They are more Pollution prone by bacteria such as Salmonella.

The study, funded by NASA, shows that under conditions of microgravity, plants tend to open their stomata (the small pores of their leaves and stems) instead of closing them to prevent the invasion of pathogens.

To reach this conclusion, the team created a simulated microgravity atmosphere in the laboratory with a device called clinostat, which rotates plants as a chicken in an grill. The results showed that, under these conditions, the salmonella more easily infects the tissue of the leaves.

Friendly bacteria also lose their protective effect

The researchers explored the use of a friendly bacterium, B. Subtilis, as a solution to the problem. However, bacteria, which on earth helps plants fight pathogens, He failed to protect them in it Simulated microgravity environmentwhich suggests that space changes significantly the interaction between plants and microbes.

The finding is important. Not only because he doubts that the salads of the International Space Station are totally safe, but also because it helps to understand the challenges of agriculture in future space colonies.

With population growth on earth and the loss of agricultural land, space is an increasingly realistic option for food cultivation. But if they want Avoid an outbreak of salmonellosisthe future farmers of space be worth the future farmers to wash their hands well with soap and water.

Image | NASA/Cory Huston

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*An earlier version of this article was published in February 2024