D4.2 Growing Fresh Food Crops in the FEG: Cultivation Recipe

The aim of the EDEN ISS project, described earlier by Zabel et al. (2016), is to design and build a mobile test facility (MTF) in which crops can be cultivated, that will be deployed to the Neumayer III
Antarctic station. Vegetable crops will be grown in a closed system and provide the crew with readyto-eat fresh food. Due to the limited space in the MTF, all crops will be grown in a single growth
compartment in the MTF and thus an ‘average climate’ suitable for all different crops was selected.
Under these conditions, some crops are expected to grow and produce well, some sub-optimally, but
still sufficiently well to produce a satisfactory amount of fresh food.
This report describes the cultivation procedure for several ready-to-eat crops: lettuce, leafy greens,
radish, herbs, tomato, cucumber and pepper. The climate, settings of the lamps, nutrient solution,
sowing procedure, crop management and harvesting are described. The procedure is based on existing (Dutch) knowledge and on the results of several trials with different light intensities, temperatures, spectral quality and crop management (single or spread harvest) performed in order to assess
the requirements for optimal growth and production of each crop. Experiments were performed in
two climate chambers in Wageningen in The Netherlands using rock-wool substrate and an ebb and
flow system to supply nutrient solution. In the MTF an aeroponic system will be used. The aeroponic
system was tested in Wageningen with lettuce Crispy Green Expertise and this worked well, although
regular control of the nozzle/spray system was necessary.
The cultivation procedure and production values are presented per crop per m2. Based on this information a cultivation scheme can be designed for the optimal fresh food production in the MTF at the
Neumayer III Antarctic station.