科學家還希望通過該實驗找出適合在嚴酷環境下生長的土豆種類,來幫助解決地球人口饑餓和營養不良的難題.
"We must be prepared for the future," said virologist Jan Kreuze, a scientist at CIP. "To respond to desertification, rising temperature and high salt content in the soil."
"我們必須為未來做準備",國際馬鈴薯中心的科學家揚·克魯茲說."準備應對沙漠化、氣候變暖和高鹽分的土壤."
Vegetable of the future
未來的蔬菜
The soil in La Joya Pampas -- a sector of the Atacama Desert in southern Peru that's considered one of the driest places on earth -- is very similar to that found on the Red Planet.
位于秘魯南部阿塔卡馬沙漠的潘帕斯德拉霍亞地區被認為是地球上最干旱的地方之一,那里的土壤與人們在火星上發現的非常相似.
The scientists plan to transport 200 pounds (100 kilos) of it to a CIP laboratory in Lima that will simulate the complex Martian atmosphere -- which contains mostly carbon dioxide -- and expose it to extreme ultraviolet radiation.
科學家計劃將大約200磅（100千克）土壤運送到利馬國際馬鈴薯中心的實驗室中.在那里,他們將模擬火星上二氧化碳居多的復雜大氣環境,并將土壤暴露在極端紫外線照射中.
"We'll have more concrete results in one or two years, Valdivia said, adding that it will take more than five years to launch an unmanned mission to Mars.
瓦爾迪維亞說："未來一兩年內,我們會得出實驗的具體結果.我們還將花至少五年的時間向火星發射無人探測器."
The potential future space crop is also one of the oldest.
土豆這種未來極有可能占領太空的作物,也是地球上最古老的作物之一.
Records of potato cultivation date back to 2500 BC, when the indigenous Aymara Indians farmed it in modern-day Peru and Bolivia.
種植土豆的記載可以追溯到公元前2500年,那時勤勞的艾馬拉族印第安人就在現在的秘魯和玻利維亞種植土豆了.
If the varieties selected for next month's experiment don't adapt to the desert soil, the researchers will introduce nutrients and subject them to radiation.
下個月,這些選出的土豆品種將參與實驗.如果這些土豆不能適應沙漠土壤,那么研究人員將對它們施以養分并將其置于紫外線照射下.
"If that doesn't work," Valdivia said, "we'll administer a new method the CIP is using called aeroponics."
瓦爾迪維亞說："如果還是不行的話,我們會采用國際馬鈴薯中心使用的一種名叫'氣栽'的新方法."
The technique, used for cultivating plants without soil, would expose roots inside a sphere or cube that is sprayed with nutrients and contains a system for removing toxins.
這是一種無土種植技術：將植物的根部置于球體或立方體容器中.容器中原本已噴灑了營養劑,并內置了一套去除毒素的機制.
In future years, NASA plans to build a Mars research center in the Peruvian desert.
未來,美國航天局還計劃在秘魯沙漠中建造一座火星研究中心.
It would create a perfect replica of the Martian landscape and atmosphere for future research into space farming that could serve manned missions to Mars and other planets in the solar system.
該研究中心將逼真還原火星的地貌和大氣狀況,以供未來太空種植研究之用.太空種植將為探測火星等其他太陽系行星的載人任務提供補給.
英文來源：yahoo.com
