Selection of beneficial fungi for plants with the potential to metabolize lunar and Martian regolith
Camila Maistro Patreze
The establishment of sustainable agriculture on extraterrestrial bodies (the Moon, Mars, etc.) depends on transforming regolith, an unconsolidated, microbiota-free, mineral substrate, into a functional soil-like material with numerous beneficial properties including as a growth substrate for plants. Lunar and Martian regolith present physicochemical challenges, including alkaline pH, high concentrations of toxic elements (e.g., aluminum, manganese, perchlorates), and limited bioavailability of e