"Moon-Rice," growing rice on Mars: Federico II University joins ASI team

The Moon-Rice project, an innovative Italian collaboration aimed at creating a rice variety ideal for cultivation in future space outposts, such as permanent bases on the Moon or Mars, and in extreme terrestrial environments, has been developed. Coordinated by the Italian Space Agency and supported by three Italian universities: the University of Milan, Sapienza University of Rome, and Federico II University of Naples, the project, presented at the SEB 2025 Conference, aims to overcome the challenges of producing fresh, nutritious food in microgravity and limited space, essential for long-duration missions. Plant biologist Marta Del Bianco emphasizes that space cultivation requires extremely compact yet productive plants. Currently, many dwarf rice varieties, obtained through manipulation of the hormone gibberellin, have germination problems and are not optimal for space environments. Moon-Rice is developing super-dwarf rice plants approximately 10 cm tall, thanks to targeted mutations isolated by the University of Milan, while Sapienza University of Rome is working on genes that modify the plant's architecture to maximize yield and growth efficiency. The University of Naples Federico II is contributing its expertise in space crop production. An innovative aspect of the project involves protein enrichment of rice, increasing the ratio of protein-rich embryo to starch, to provide a more complete food in the absence of efficient meat production in space. Furthermore, to simulate microgravity, the plants are continuously rotated on Earth, uniformly activating all sides and preventing them from perceiving an "up" or "down" direction. This method, though limited, allows for studying the physiological responses of plants in the absence of real gravity. In addition to nutritional benefits, growing fresh plants also has psychological benefits for astronauts, helping reduce stress and improve mental health during extended missions. Moon-Rice therefore aims to create a more sustainable and healthy living environment in space , reducing dependence on terrestrial supplies and minimizing risks and errors. Finally, the innovations developed in the project will also have applications on Earth, in extreme environments such as the Arctic and Antarctic poles, deserts, or limited indoor spaces, contributing to sustainable and resilient agricultural solutions.