Sustained Veggie: A Continuous Food Production Comparison

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dc.creatorCurry, Aaron
dc.creatorBunchek, Jess
dc.creatorRomeyn, Matthew
dc.date.accessioned2021-06-24T18:49:59Z
dc.date.available2021-06-24T18:49:59Z
dc.date.issued7/12/2021
dc.descriptionAaron Curry, Amentum/LASSO, Kennedy Space Center
dc.descriptionJess Bunchek, SURA/LASSO, Kennedy Space Center
dc.descriptionMatthew Romeyn, NASA, Kennedy Space Center
dc.descriptionICES500: Life Science/Life Support Research Technologiesen
dc.descriptionThe 50th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held virtually on 12 July 2021 through 14 July 2021.en_US
dc.description.abstractThe International Space Station�s Veggie system intermittently supplies the crew with fresh produce. To assess the potential for continuous crop production in Veggie and develop a baseline for future space crop production systems, a 120-day study was conducted to determine methodology for inputs, optimal yield, and crew involvement. �Amara� mustard and �Red Russian� kale were grown as initial crops, followed by �Extra Dwarf� pak choi and shungiku as final crops. Previous grow-outs in Veggie have included harvests at 28-35 days after initiation. In this study, a 56-day grow-out with multiple harvests from the same plants was compared to the conventional, single harvest Veggie schedule. Unlike previous Veggie studies which grew all plants simultaneously, this test staggered initiation and harvest, aiming for consistent and increased production. Plant pillows were initiated in pairs weekly and positioned to reduce shading. Completed pillows were immediately replaced with fresh ones. The multi-harvest scheme used fewer pillows, totaling 46% less pillow mass than the single harvest method. Scaled to 56-day increments, yield varied by crop and harvest scheme. �Red Russian� kale yielded similarly across harvest schemes. In the multiple-harvest schedule, �Amara� mustard and shungiku yielded 23% to 25% higher, respectively, while �Extra Dwarf� pak choi had 43% lower yield. Microbial analysis of the plants indicated no culturable human pathogens. Microbial load of a given plant appears to depend more on system age than plant age. Across harvest methods, aerobic plate counts from final crops were higher than those of initial crops. This project also considered the complexity of crew involvement in a continuous production scenario. New crew procedures that periodically remove plant material from the Veggie root mat are needed under continuous production to prevent potential pathogens and unpleasant odors. This study supports future space crop production scenarios and was funded by NASA�s Human Research Program.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otherICES-2021-229
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2346/87200
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher50th International Conference on Environmental Systemsen_US
dc.subjectSpace Crop Production
dc.subjectVEGGIE
dc.subjectContinuous food production
dc.subjectCrew diet
dc.subjectCrew health
dc.subjectHarvest comparison
dc.titleSustained Veggie: A Continuous Food Production Comparisonen_US
dc.typePresentationen_US

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