Researchers successfully harvest chickpeas grown in simulated lunar regolith using symbiotic fungal assistance

UT Austin and Texas A&M researchers successfully grow chickpeas in simulated moon soil using fungi and vermicompost to bypass lunar toxicity.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 5, 2026, 9:45 AM EST

Innovative cultivation techniques for lunar agriculture

As the United States prepares for the Artemis II mission, researchers are investigating sustainable food sources for long term lunar exploration. A team led by Sara Santos at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics successfully grew chickpeas in a medium designed to mimic the moon's surface. This simulated regolith, provided by Exolith Labs, lacks the organic material and microorganisms essential for plant life on Earth. The project focused on transforming this sterile mineral mix into viable soil capable of supporting crop production in space limited environments.

Mitigating toxicity with symbiotic fungal coatings

The primary challenge of growing crops in lunar dirt is the presence of heavy metals that can be toxic to plant life. To address this, the scientists coated the chickpea seeds with arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi before planting. This fungus forms a symbiotic relationship with the chickpeas, assisting in the uptake of essential nutrients while simultaneously blocking the absorption of harmful heavy metals. Researchers observed that the fungi were able to colonize and survive within the simulant, suggesting that a single introduction of the fungi could suffice for ongoing agricultural efforts on the moon.

Integrating vermicompost for nutrient enrichment

To provide the necessary microbiome for plant growth, the team added vermicompost to the simulated regolith. This material is a byproduct of red wiggler earthworms, which process organic waste such as food scraps and cotton based materials into nutrient rich soil. In a mission setting, this process would allow astronauts to recycle waste products into agricultural resources. The study tested various proportions of moon dirt and compost, discovering that mixtures containing up to 75 percent simulated regolith could successfully produce harvestable crops.