The 'Moon Rice' project develops rice varieties that grow in microgravity.

In a new step towards sustainable space travel, scientists from the Moon-Rice project are developing microscopic, protein-rich rice that can grow in microgravity. This is a collaborative effort between the Italian Space Agency and three Italian universities to create a nutritious fresh food source for astronauts.

Scientists on the Moon-Rice project are developing microscopic, protein-rich rice that can grow in microgravity.

“Living in space means recycling resources and being sustainable,” said Marta Del Bianco, a plant biologist at the Italian Space Agency. “We are trying to solve the same problems on Earth.”

One major challenge is plant size. Even many of today’s dwarf rice varieties are too large to grow efficiently on the space station. The project aims to breed “super dwarf rice” that grows to just 10cm tall, but still produces a high yield. Shrinking plants by manipulating the hormone gibberellin often makes germination and growth difficult, Del Bianco explained. So space-grown rice needs to be not only small, but also healthy and nutritious.

The three Italian universities that are collaborating on the research are the University of Milan, which specializes in rice genetics, the University of Rome “Sapienza”, which focuses on plant physiology, and the University of Naples “Federico II”, which has extensive experience in space crop production. Scientists have screened rice varieties with extremely low mutations and are working on gene editing to optimize plant structure. In parallel, they are also working on increasing protein content by adjusting the ratio of protein-rich germ to starch.

To simulate microgravity, Del Bianco’s team placed the plants on a rotating device, causing them to lose their orientation up and down. “This is the only way we can do it on Earth, because testing in real space is very complicated and expensive,” she said.

In addition to its nutritional value, fresh rice also provides important mental benefits. “Watching and caring for plants grow helps maintain mental health,” says Del Bianco. “On long missions, eating only packaged food can be stressful… If we create an environment that nurtures both the body and the mind, we reduce the risk of error – and in space, a small mistake can cost a life.”

The Moon-Rice project also promises applications on Earth, helping to grow plants in the Arctic, deserts or places with limited space.

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 9.

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