Forget growing potatoes, alfalfa may be the key to farming on Mars

Growing food on Mars is a challenge, just ask Matt Damon, but US scientists have discovered that alfalfa plants may be the key to growing food on the red planet. They found that alfalfa can grow well in a volcanic soil that mimics Martian soil, and that the alfalfa could then be turned into fertiliser to help grow turnips, radishes and even lettuce. The researchers also used a marine bacteria to remove salt from briny water, and together they say this shows that it is possible to use the resources on Mars to farm and grow plants and sustain human missions and permanent settlements.