Dis kain tori fit sound like film, but e dey slowly turn to reality. Today, we wan yarn about one discovery wey fit make people live for oda planets and even do farming for dia. Turkish scientists dey do experiment for one plant wey dem call ‘Schrenkiella parvula’ (Sçerenkiella pervula). Dem believe say dis plant fit play big role for farming for space. Make we follow di tori well-well.

Di oga for di research, Associate Professor Özgür Uzilday, talk say human life dey depend on plants. Na dem dey give us oxygen and food. But if we wan live for oda planets, we go face one big wahala. Di wahala na di kain soil wey dem dey call ‘regolith’. Dis kain soil dey different from di one wey we get for Earth. E get bad salts and metals wey fit harm plants.

Uzilday explain say di ‘regolith’ soil no dey allow di roots of plants wey we dey chop to grow well. E no dey hold water like Earth soil too. But di ‘Schrenkiella parvula’ plant fit help us. Dis small but strong plant dey grow for salty area near Salt Lake for Turkey. E sabi store salt for im cells, e no dey fear harsh weather, and e no dey spoil even when e meet chemicals like chromium, boron, and lithium.

But no be only di ‘regolith’ soil be di wahala for space. Another problem na whether plants fit grow for place wey no get gravity. Turkish scientists don take bold step to check dis matter.

For January 18, 2024, Turkey first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, carry more than 50 seeds of ‘Schrenkiella parvula’ go International Space Station. Di seeds dem plant am for di station lab under conditions wey resemble Moon or Mars. Di aim na to see whether di plant fit grow for space.

Di experiment work well as di seeds germinate. Scientists dey very happy as di plants grow pass wetin dem expect for just eight days. One interesting part of di experiment na how di roots go grow. For Earth, plant roots dey grow down because of gravity, but for space, di roots grow anyhow since gravity no dey. Even with dis, di plant no spoil.

Before Alper Gezeravcı return to Earth, e gather di plants wey grow for space and preserve dem for minus 80 degrees Celsius. Di samples reach Ege University for February 29. Scientists later compare di plants wey grow for space with di ones wey grow for Earth. Di goal na to see whether di plant still strong like di one wey dey Earth. If dis experiment succeed, e fit solve one of di biggest problems for space colonization.

Uzilday suggest say make dem use ‘Schrenkiella parvula’ as cover crop. E talk say di plant fit help break down di thick, toxic ‘regolith’ soil for Moon and Mars, turn am to better soil wey fit grow crops. Dis one go really help farming for space.

So wetin all dis mean? Dis plant wey dey grow for Turkey fit be di first step to make oda planets good for human life. Di way e dey survive harsh conditions dey give us hope say farming fit get future outside Earth.