German scientists grow first vegetables in Antarctica with LED lighting

German scientists have grown the first vegetables without soil, sunlight and pesticides at the Neumeier 3 station on the Antarctic coast. In the cold weather where the outdoor temperature is below minus 20 degrees Celsius, they use artificial lighting and a closed irrigation system in a high-tech greenhouse to control the concentration of carbon dioxide and cultivate a variety of vegetables.

It is reported that the first harvest of vegetables includes 3.6 kilograms of lettuce, 18 small cucumbers and 70 small carrots.

The research was carried out by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Project engineer and horticulturalist Paul Zabel said he spends an average of three to four hours a day tending the vegetables in the greenhouse. Scientists hope to harvest 4 to 5 kilograms of fruits and vegetables every week by May.

Project director Schubert (Daniel Schubert) said that they have learned more about self-sufficient cultivation in the past few weeks, and Antarctica is an ideal test site for their research. The purpose of the Antarctic planting program is to allow astronauts to grow more types of vegetables on Mars or the moon in the future.