Scientists Propose Using Fungi to Turn Toxic Martian and Lunar Soil Into Farmland

A review by scientists from the United States and Brazil, published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, proposes that "beneficial fungi" could help convert Martian and lunar regolith — the loose, rocky surface material on both bodies — into soil capable of supporting crops. Regolith lacks nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, nutrients plants need to grow.

The researchers reviewed existing studies of fungal species on Earth that have been shown to promote plant growth by increasing nutrient absorption under harsh, non-living environmental stress, including fungi already used aboard the International Space Station. They point to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) — used in botany since the mid-19th century, and which function as a microscopic extension of a plant's root system — as a leading candidate, alongside fungi in the genus Trichoderma.

"Fungi such as Trichoderma and the various AMF... stand out for their ability to relieve abiotic stresses, mobilize essential nutrients, and potentially improve the physicochemical structure of regolith substrates," the authors write. The approach falls under what NASA calls in-situ resource utilization, or using local materials already present at a destination instead of shipping supplies from Earth — part of the agency's Moon to Mars Architecture.

The researchers say real-world testing using actual Martian and lunar regolith is still needed to close key knowledge gaps, describing large-scale crop production with fungi-enhanced regolith as still years away. A separate, previously reported experiment combined one gram of cyanobacteria with Martian regolith simulant to grow 27 grams of duckweed, part of a broader body of research into space-based food production.