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First Progress Report
Team 3 Group 8
Life Science
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Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus León
Progress Report
Fernanda Urteaga Zambrano
A00569494
Juan Mateo Succar Abiscal
A00569727
Ana Laura Hurtado Muñoz
A00569863
Ciencias de la Vida
Group 8
Profa. Maria Eugenia Orozco
After a month of working on this task we have gathered all the information of the
progress we have achieved so far.
A. The biotic and abiotic requirements of strawberry plants.
The first point to cover includes the biotic and abiotic requirements of the strawberry
plants. Given to all our research and personal experience in the Greenhouse we know
now the requirements; biotic, meaning living, and abiotic, nonliving.

Biotic Requirements:
o The plants themselves: First needs are the plant seeds or the cells for the
micropropagation to clone them.
o Pollination: Plants require this because pollination is the process by which
pollen is transferred from one flower to another, allowing flowers to become
fertilized and able to produce seeds and fruits.1

Abiotic Requirements
o Water: is vital for the plants survival. It is also needed for photosynthesis.
o Oxygen: they need the oxygen for respiration, to consume their food.8
o Support Medium and Space to Grow: A support for the plant and an anchor
for the roots to grow in are needed.2 An adequate space for the plants to grow
is also vital with suitable ventilation.
o Carbon Dioxide: CO2 is one of the materials that are required for
photosynthesis. CO2 is actually what sustains essentially all plants.3
o Light: They use light energy to change the materials - carbon dioxide and
water - into food substances (sugars); the process of photosynthesis. Only in
light can a green plant make food.2
o Adequate temperature: It is important that the strawberries grow in the
adequate temperature they require to survive and produce fruit. The lowest
temperature they can withstand depends on the growth of the plant, but
basically they prefer a cool weather. 20°C being a suitable temperature, and
2°C approximately being the lowest temperature they can withstand.5
o Nutrient Solution: 2.4Grams.6 They need various nutrients to grow.
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Nitrogen: (10.00%) Is a necessary part of processes involved in the
creation and transfer of energy.
Phosphorus: (6.00%) Helps with the transformation of solar energy into
chemical energy; proper plant maturation; withstanding stress.
Calcium: (9.40%) An essential part of plant cell structure and involved in
strength of the plant.
Potassium: (12.50%) Helps in the building of protein, photosynthesis, fruit
quality and reduction of diseases.
Magnesium: (2.20%) Part of the chlorophyll in all green plants and
essential for photosynthesis.
Boron: (0.02%) Aids production of sugar and carbohydrates. Essential for
seed and fruit development.
Zinc: (0.003%) Essential for the transformation of carbohydrates.
Copper: (2.20%) Important for reproductive growth. Aids in root
metabolism and helps in the utilization of proteins.
Manganese: (0.03%) Functions with enzyme systems involved in
breakdown of carbohydrates, and nitrogen metabolism.
Iron: (0.02%) Essential for formation of chlorophyll.7
B. A description of the experience and knowledge you have gained from growing
real strawberry plants in a hydroponic system that can be applied to the Mars
greenhouse.
Throughout the process, we have learned the most basic and important facts for
carrying out the assignment. All we know now is useful to be applied on the Mars
Greenhouse. You have to realize that you are handling a living being. It requires
responsibility to take care of the plants, check every day for updates, and provide the
plants with everything they need to survive.
We are aware of the abiotic and biotic requirements that are substantial for the survival
of the plants. Given the experiment we are carrying out, we have had the chance to
observe how the plants react as they adapt to their environment. First, we know we
have to make sure to provide the plants with an adequate habitat to grow in, with
adequate temperature, enough light energy sources, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water,
and a support medium, just to mention a few. All of these aspects will be needed in
Mars as well. For growing the strawberry plants in a greenhouse using the hydroponics
method, you have to give the plants special nutrients. The specific nutrient solution we
apply is called Jipipe. The Jipipe contains all the nutriments the plants need, since the
soil won’t provide them, because in hydroponics the plants are not supposed to have
contact with the ground. In Mars we would have to obtain all those nutriments.
We have learned as well that plants must be stressed out so they will flower, otherwise
they will never flower at all. Plants also need an exact amount of water so they can feed
themselves, otherwise if you give them more water than needed, they will drown;
experienced that already. Also the water PH is really important, so we have to be
careful of the level of PH the plant receives and keep it between 5 and 6. The
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conductivity also matters, because it tells us how much salt the plant is receiving.
Temperature is important factor we have to be careful of. Another factor we have come
to acknowledge is that plants have to be protected from radiation. Even though they
need sunlight, they also have to be away from rough radiation and protected from the
gamma rays that can cause mutation as well as burning the strawberry plants.
C. Sourcing options for each biotic and abiotic factors listed in point A.
There are many contrasts, but also similarities between the Earth and Mars. Similar
factors are the longevity of the days, both planets have 4 seasons. The gravity in mars
is 0.375 that of Earth. The composition of the atmosphere is quite different; on Earth is
mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen, when on Mars is nearly all is Carbon dioxide. Also Mars
atmosphere is thinner, meaning the radiation it receives is a lot, even if it farther from
the sun. The polar caps in mars are covered with a mixture of carbon dioxide ice and
water ice and Earth’s are covered with ice water. Temperature on Mars is far lower that
of Earth. 6
As we face the assignment of coming up with a successful plan to grow strawberries in
a Greenhouse on Mars, we agreed together on a list of sourcing options of how we
would provide all the requirements.

Oxygen: We have found a reliable source which NASA has been working on. “The
NASA’s Phoenix mission” found a multi-talented chemical named perchlorate (ClO4)
in the Martian soil. Some human researchers have found that it can also be used to
generate oxygen. We can use “perchlorate candles” which it produces O2 via
chemical reactions inside a metal canister. This container is shoved into a reactor
and then pulls an igniter pin. Once the reaction starts, it continues to burn until it's all
used, it releases enough oxygen for one person depending on how much
perchlorate you put inside it, the more perchlorate you put on it the more oxygen it
will release. We are also considering the fact that we will just have to provide the
oxygen once, the next time the plants will produce the oxygen by the help of the
extensive amount of carbon dioxide and the first input of oxygen. 1 Another source for
oxygen could be separating the Iron Oxide that Mars’s surface contains.
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Carbon Dioxide: Since more than 90% of the atmosphere is composed by CO 2, we
could simply obtain the transcendental element from there. To expand our options,
we found that NASA discovered that the poles contain Carbon-dioxide snow, so we
could use that. Since we only need to provide once, there’s no need for more since
the cycle will produce everything by itself. Once everything is set up the astronauts
will provide the plants with CO2 as the plants will provide them with Oxygen.
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Water: One of the hardest sources we have been trying to look for is water. There
are some ways we have a hypothesis to get water. One of them is getting hydrogen
from the universe, because hydrogen as you know, is the most abundant element in
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the universe, besides his atomic mass is just 1, and then the oxygen we get from the
perchlorate we make an electrolysis and make water. Another reliable source, the
cheaper one is to unfreeze the water that NASA founded on Mars not a long ago. 2
Another way could be by compressing carbon dioxide gas, which makes up most of
the atmosphere on Mars, it can be used to dissolve some of the water locked up in
minerals and rocks on the planet surface. When the compressed gas has passed
over the rock samples it is allowed to expand which releases clean water which can
be collected and used.8

Nutrients: Mars surface provides many of the nutrients needed, and by chemical
reactions we could separate them. We face the lack of some of them, it can be
expensive but we have to supply them from Earth, because of the fact that they
haven’t has been found yet on Mars. The elements that are not available on Mars
would have to be taken there in the trip and then we could recycle from the human
wastes, the fallen leaves, and the dead plants that still will contain the elements.5
The composition of Mars’s soil is still being investigated, so if there are any updates,
we would have to see how we can improve our plans so far.
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Energy: Even though Mars is farther away from the Sun, because of the thin
atmosphere, the energy from the sun is available. A problem is that twice the
amount of radiation on Earth, reaches the Martian surface. The dangers for the
plants are mutations and getting burned. 3 To avoid this we sought necessary to
build the greenhouse where the gamma rays cannot reach the plants. We thought of
using the existence of caves to build the Greenhouse inside them, and get rid of the
radiation problem. Next in issue, we have to substitute the sunlight energy, for this
we would use the artificial lighting lamps (UV) that provide the plants with the light
and radiation they need. The energy to function these lamps would come from solar
panels installed on the surface of the red planet. A second possibility to obtain
energy, since there are sandstorms in Mars that last for couple months, is to
accumulate the eolic energy the long-lasting storms provide. Since the temperature
is also an issue in the Greenhouse, the NASA page informed us that the caves are
cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at night and this helps us
with that issue. We still would have to regulate and make adequate the temperature
by ventilation and calefaction. For keeping the adequate temperature we would
make use of the resources of energy we have available.
References
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A.
1
Halstead, Andrew. Plants for pollinators. The Royal Horticultural Society, 2012
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/Plants-for-pollinators
2
Maryland Department of Natural Sources. Plant needs. 580 Taylor Avenue - Annapolis
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/education/needs.html
3
http://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-plant-food.htm
4
Handley, David T. Growing Strawberries. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the
Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2003, 2011.
http://umaine.edu/publications/2067e/
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Johnson, Gordon. Critical Temperatures for Strawberry Buds and Blossoms and Freeze
Protection. Weekly Crop Update is proudly powered by WordPress, 2010.
http://agdev.anr.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=1673
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http://www.cosechandonatural.com.mx/solucion_jipie_ctpr23_44.html
7
http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm
8
http://catedu.es/chuegos/kono/quinto/t2/nut.html
C.
1
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp162.pdf
1
Webster, Guy. NASA Phoenix Results Point to Martian Climate Cycles Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. Pasadena, Calif.
2009http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix/release.php?ArticleID=2210
1
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast13nov_1/
2
Brown, Dwayne NASA Phoenix Mars Lander Confirms Frozen Water. NASA Headquarters,
Washington 2008.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080620.html
Coffey, Jeffery. Temperature of Mars. 2008
http://www.universetoday.com/14911/temperature-of-mars/#ixzz26IGK8Ovm
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3 http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/4467
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3
http://marsnews.com/focus/mars/
4
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2007/21sep_caves/
5http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/366330/Mars/281005/Surface-
composition
6 http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/mars111.php
7 Brown,
Dwayne. NASA Orbiter Observations Point to 'Dry Ice' Snowfall on Mars.. NASA
Headquarters, Washington, 2012
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/news/mro20120911.html
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Naked Scientists, The. Science News Archive, The Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science
Podcasts. The Naked Scientists and Naked Science, 2002.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news-archive/news/898/
- http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/science/lpsc98/1711.pdf
-Mancinelli, Rocco L. Where is the nitrogen on Mars? SETI/NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, CA, 2003.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=CA2B8418FB2ED2733B1C4EC
E0C8B8D9D.journals?fromPage=online&aid=191609
-http://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html
-http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4997533.html
Many factors used in this Project were base don our knowledge gained in class.
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