Cultural systems for growing potatoes in space

Area of Science:

• Space agriculture
• Bioregenerative life support systems
• Plant physiology

Background:

• Higher plants are crucial for sustainable life support in space, providing food, oxygen, and water while removing carbon dioxide.
• Recycling plant and human waste is essential for a closed-loop bioregenerative system.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate potatoes as a primary crop for space life support systems.
• Identify challenges and requirements for growing potatoes in controlled space environments.

Main Methods:

• Assessed potato productivity, nutritional content, propagation methods, and processing ease.
• Analyzed potato growth patterns, specifically underground tuber development (stolons/rhizomes).
• Defined essential design criteria for space-based plant growth systems.

Main Results:

• Potatoes offer high yields (>100 metric tons/hectare), significant edible biomass (80%), and rich nutritional value (starch, protein).
• Potato growth requires a dark, moist environment for tuber development and ample space for plant spread.
• Successful cultivation necessitates reusable, inert materials, minimal media, recirculating nutrient solutions, and automation.

Conclusions:

• Potatoes are a promising candidate for space agriculture due to their productivity and nutritional benefits.
• Specialized controlled environment systems are required to accommodate potato's unique growth habit for space applications.