Russian polar explorers grow watermelons in Antarctica with the expectation of the Moon
Russian polar explorers intend to grow watermelons and cucumbers in the coldest place on the planet — at the Arctic Vostok station, where they have already managed to harvest a good crop of tomatoes. The experiment is being conducted in preparation for the creation of a base on the Moon, but it also has a more mundane meaning.
Due to the natural conditions that are not suitable for agriculture, vegetables at the station are grown using panoponics: agrophysicists have created so-called phytotechnological complexes in which an optimal ratio of solid, liquid and air media is achieved. Instead of soil, its thin-layer analogue is used, resembling a tissue, and the nutrient solution enters the seed through slit capillaries. According to Andrey Teplyakov, a polar explorer, a magnetologist in his main specialty, who is engaged in greenhouse research in the “East”, in Antarctica the yield of vegetables is usually one and a half to two times higher than in modern greenhouse plants operating in Russia and abroad.
“I can’t say how the fruits differ in taste from greenhouse ones: for this you need to try the same variety from the greenhouse of the “East” and the greenhouse,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.
Teplyakov said that agrophysicists managed to grow watermelons in the simulated conditions of Antarctica, and they will begin to deal with them directly in the “East” in February, the first fruits can be obtained in 68 days after the “launch”. The expert noted that the berries will be much smaller than usual — only about 20 centimeters in diameter, and the taste should be the same as Astrakhan. At the same time, he stressed that Antarctic watermelons are a kind of marketing ploy that will help promote panoponics.
“If we manage to grow watermelons in Antarctica, then it can be done everywhere,” Teplyakov explained.
He noted that such efforts are aimed at developing technology that will help feed plant products to residents of hard-to-reach regions of the country. For example, in Siberia, vegetables and fruits are extremely expensive, and installing greenhouses will not solve this problem. At the same time, panoponics allows you to receive products in closed rooms, where heating costs are significantly lower and productivity is higher. The biggest expense item in this case is electricity, since plants absorb light 12-16 hours a day.
As Teplyakov explained, greenhouses in the “East” are illuminated at night — while polar explorers sleep, plants grow. At the same time, he stressed that the most important part of the work is pollination, which has to be carried out manually. The expert noted that this can be done with a brush or simply by connecting male and female flowers. At the same time, it is important not to miss time, since the “window” for pollination lasts only one or two days.
A source: https://life.ru
