Perchlorate and Agriculture on Mars

• Main Authors: Christopher Oze, Joshua Beisel, Edward Dabsys, Jacqueline Dall, Gretchen North, Allan Scott, Alandra Marie Lopez, Randall Holmes, Scott Fendorf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Soil Systems
• Subjects: perchlorate; Martian regolith; plant growth; metal bioavailability
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/5/3/37

Perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) is globally enriched in Martian regolith at levels commonly toxic to plants. Consequently, perchlorate in Martian regolith presents an obstacle to developing agriculture on Mars. Here, we assess the effect of perchlorate at different concentrations on plant growth and germination, as well as metal release in a simulated Gusev Crater regolith and generic potting soil. The presence of perchlorate was uniformly detrimental to plant growth regardless of growing medium. Plants in potting soil were able to germinate in 1 wt.% perchlorate; however, these plants showed restricted growth and decreased leaf area and biomass. Some plants were able to germinate in regolith simulant without perchlorate; however, they showed reduced growth. In Martian regolith simulant, the presence of perchlorate prevented germination across all plant treatments. Soil column flow-through experiments of perchlorate-containing Martian regolith simulant and potting soil were unable to completely remove perchlorate despite its high solubility. Additionally, perchlorate present in the simulant increased metal/phosphorous release, which may also affect plant growth and biochemistry. Our results support that perchlorate may modify metal availability to such an extent that, even with the successful removal of perchlorate, Martian regolith may continue to be toxic to plant life. Overall, our study demonstrates that the presence of perchlorate in Martian regolith provides a significant challenge in its use as an agricultural substrate and that further steps, such as restricted metal availability and nutrient enrichment, are necessary to make it a viable growing substrate.