LED research in Canada is expected to grow strawberries on Mars

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news, Ontario University of Guelph Department of biology professor and director Dixon (Mike Dixon) with his own research team, has been studying how to find the ideal LED wavelength effectively promote plant growth, hope some day in the future can grow strawberry or cherry tomatoes in the moon or other planets in the solar system.

Dixon said, the next hundred years, human beings will be large-scale Mars exploration, but because of the material supply is not too high, so when you need to control the system is the key to environmental and biological life support system based on mars.

He said, to plant tomato or strawberry in the outer planets closely control the climate conditions, there are still many problems to overcome, but it is mainly through the LED wavelength and promote plant growth, testing all kinds of bad growth environment, such as northern Canada and Kuwait growth test, and emerging medical marijuana cultivation test, for this study.

Astronaut: LED plant growth potential

For dry and cold processed food for astronauts, the Dixon study is undoubtedly full of expectation. Once in space, a total of 2 missions performed live in space for 205 days has retired Canadian astronaut grams (Bob Thirsk) philosophy said, I really hope that one day the astronauts can eat fresh nutritious fruits and vegetables in space. Living in such a closed space with the outside world to live in, can not live like five star hotel, short-term stay is not a problem, if the long-term life in which, will miss all the earth.

Philosophizing Kerby who all know, to create a class of plants on earth in space growth environment, facing many challenges, high costs do not say, is unrealistic, problems such as bacteria infestation, space station, air and water etc.. Because the entire space station is closed and isolated, there is no fresh air from the Pacific will be the space station of dirty air and water blown away.

For the Dixon LED plant growth studies, philosophy g that has great potential. He said that if the next year to prepare the first Mars landing program, the light source is definitely LED. Focus on the use of LED strong light source, plant soilless culture, it may be considered direction.

The next 15-20 years lunar plant species or feasible

Dixon's special laboratory, the red light, blue light, amber or ultraviolet light, such as various combinations of experiments, hoping to find the best combination of plants to promote the growth of photosynthesis. At present, the growth of the plant is easy to grow and grow faster, but the ultimate goal is to cultivate high nutritional value of strawberries and cherry tomatoes.

At present, the research is still in early stage, but Dixon believes that the future only 15-20 years, this technology will certainly have the feasibility, then human beings will be on the surface of the moon, planting experiment of plant science, good life support requirements for mars. At present, the research of biological life support is still a frontier field.

He said that, despite this, but there is still lack of government support in this area, I hope the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) can provide more support, as long as there is more support, this study can really promote further.

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