Chickpeas grown in a mixture that included lunar soil simulant inside a climate-controlled growth chamber at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, U.S., seen in this photograph released on March 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Jessica Atkin
hummus seems far-fetched, think again. Scientists working to
cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown
chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step
toward enabling astronauts on long-term moon missions to produce
their own food.
Researchers said harvestable chickpeas were grown in soil
mixtures composed primarily of “moon dirt” modeled after lunar
samples retrieved during NASA’s Apollo missions more than half a
century ago.
Chickpeas of a variety called “Myles” were raised in a
climate-controlled growth chamber at Texas A&M University. Seeds
were coated with beneficial fungi and planted in a mix of the
simulated lunar soil, made by Florida-based company Space
Resource Technologies, and a nutrient-rich substance called
vermicompost produced when earthworms break down organic waste.
The first chickpea grown in a mixture that included lunar soil simulant during experiments at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, U.S., seen in this photograph released on March 5th, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Aaron Nieto
Harvestable chickpeas grew in soil mixtures of up to 75%
lunar simulant. As the percentage of simulated moon soil – known
as regolith – increased, the number of harvestable chickpeas
decreased, though the size of the chickpeas remained stable.
Seeds planted in 100% lunar simulant failed to produce flowers
and seeds, experiencing early death.
The United States and China have plans to send astronauts
back to the lunar surface in the coming years, with an eye
toward long-term bases on the moon.
“Chickpeas are high in protein and other essential
nutrients, making them a strong candidate for space crop
production,” said Jessica Atkin, a doctoral candidate and NASA
fellow at Texas A&M’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, lead
author of the research published on Thursday in the journal
Scientific Reports.
A local food source is considered vital to sustaining people
staffing moon bases because of the impracticality of
transporting all needed food from Earth.
A chickpea plant grows in a lunar soil simulant mixture inside a climate-controlled growth chamber at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, U.S., in this undated handout. Jessica Atkin/Handout via REUTERS
| Photo Credit: Jessica Atkin
“In our goal toward establishing a lunar presence – or one
on Mars – we will need to learn how to grow food on the moon,
since it will not be sustainable to ship food in spaceships.
This is because it is still quite expensive to ship things to
space, so weight is a factor, and also because the survival of
astronauts on the moon can’t be dependent on the timely shipment
of supplies,” said study co-author Sara Oliveira Santos, a
postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Institute for
Geophysics.
“Plants would also help produce oxygen and enhance
life-support systems for future human settlements,” said
astrobiologist Jyothi Basapathi Raghavendra of Northumbria
University in England, lead author of a second study published
on Thursday that examined growing conditions for microbes in
simulated Martian soil.
Moon soil is basically crushed rock and dust, often sharp
and glass-like, formed over billions of years by meteorite
impacts. While it contains essential nutrients and minerals for
plants to grow, it is inorganic and inhospitable, unlike the
nutrient-rich and organic Earth soil.
“Previous studies have shown plants can germinate in
authentic lunar samples or grow in regolith simulants, often by
adding compost or other types of organic matter,” Atkin said.
“In this study, we focused on microorganisms. Instead of only
adding organic material, we tested whether plant-microbe
partnerships could help condition regolith, improve its
structure and reduce plant stress.”
HOW DO THEY TASTE?
So what did these chickpeas taste like? We do not know yet.
“The chickpeas are currently being tested for metal
accumulation, which is why we haven’t eaten them just yet,”
Atkin said.
Lunar regolith and the simulant used by the researchers
contain high levels of metals such as aluminum and iron. Iron is
an essential nutrient for plants. Aluminum is not, and can be
toxic when consumed.
The root of a chickpea plant grows in a lunar soil simulant mixture inside a climate-controlled growth chamber at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, U.S., in this handout image.
| Photo Credit: Jessica Atkin
“Before anyone makes moon hummus, we need to confirm they
are safe and nutritious. Those results will be published in a
follow-up paper later this year,” Atkin said.
The fungi used to coat the seeds worked symbiotically with
the chickpeas, helping the plants absorb some essential
nutrients while reducing their uptake of heavy metals. The
microorganisms successfully colonized roots even in 100%
regolith simulant and helped bind loose particles, making
regolith behave more like Earth soil.
The researchers had some fun in the laboratory. Atkin played
lunar-themed songs such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad
Moon Rising” to encourage the plants. Atkin also hung a picture
of chickpeas growing on the moon.
“Kind of silly, but something to aim for,” Atkin said.
“This is a small first step toward growing crops on the
moon,” Oliveira Santos said, “but we have shown this is feasible
and we are moving in the right direction.”
Published on March 6, 2026