Alex Kamras '23 and Huck Agar-Johnson '23

Brentwood School

An Escape from Global Worming (Warming)

For human life to expand to other planets, humanity must develop the ability to grow food reliably in non-Earth atmospheres. This experiment will determine if the entomopathogenic nematodes (EN), Steinernema feltiae (S.feltiae) can assist extraterrestrial agriculture. In their infective juvenile (IJ) stage, S. feltiae are beneficial nematodes that search out and enter (i.e., infects) insect pests (e.g., wax worms). The infectious juvenile, S. feltiae, is cultivated by infecting the wax worms. The IJs lay embryos within the wax worms. About 500 infectious juveniles are placed onto 0.5mL of 0.80% agarose in 15mL falcon tubes, which are then covered with terrestrial sand or simulant Martian regolith with a wax worm on top as bait. After 10 days, IJs are observed to have traveled into both soil types. Over the course of two trials, several variables were tested, including Earth vs. Martian soil, Earth vs. Martian atmosphere, and infected vs. uninfected soil. After 19 days of growth in the first trial and 16 days in the second trial, we found that Martian soil and atmosphere do not hinder the growth of Wisconsin fast plants in the presence of IJs. Additionally, once plants have grown in infected soil, the IJs remain more lively and future growth in Trial 2 using the same infected soil exceeds Trial 1 in growth (height) and development (emergence of true leaves instead of solely cotyledons and a more extensive root system). Our data suggests that, with IJs, long-term sustainable Martian agriculture is possible.