It will be a challenge to nurture and grow plants when we finally start a colony on the red planet. Researchers on the international space station made an exciting discovery that might make things a little easier.

Image Credit: A_Z_photographer via iStock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci

Scientists aboard the ISS have been performing a wide range of scientific research for many years, engaging with the unique zero-gravity conditions that the station provides. Part of their focus lies in sustaining plants in extreme environments and searching for biotechnological tools to aid in growing them.

Occupants have been surveying the space station for the presence and persistence of the microorganisms for six years on several locations (among which the special plant growth chamber) and found four strains of bacteria belonging to a family called 'Methylobacteriaceae' at separate locations on the station over two back-to-back flights. One of these strains was already known, but the other three were previously undiscovered. The newly discovered bacteria are rod-shaped and capable of movement. Genetic examination revealed that the trio is closely linked to the known Methylobacterium indicum.

Researchers think these three newly discovered strains might be useful in helping vegetation grow on Mars because Methylobacterium species are known to promote plant growth. They are good at increasing the solubility of poorly water–soluble substances with surface-active agents (Solubilization). They are also known to help convert molecular nitrogen into ammonia or related or related nitrogenous compounds in soil (Known as Nitrogen fixation). On top of that, Methylobacterium species are capable of engaging in biocontrol actions against plant pathogens.

The Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the International Space Station - Image Credit: NASA

NASA scientists Dr. Nitin Kumar Singh and Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran stated in a press release that the newly found strains might be a game-changer for the future of space crops. However, they explicitly asserted that further experimental biology is necessary for confirmation. According to them, it is essential to find new bacteria that assist in plant growth under stressful conditions in extreme places with scarce resources.

Given the importance of finding new, useful microbes, Venkateswaran and Singh argue for an expansion of the space station to mitigate the lengthy process of continuously sending samples back to Earth. Rather than returning samples back to Earth for examinations, an integrated microbial monitoring system that collects, processes, and analyzes samples on location, in space, using molecular technologies would vastly expedite the process.

The researchers published their discovery in the science journal Frontiers in Microbiology. If you are interested in the details of the study, be sure to check out the paper listed in the further reading section below.

Further reading: