Do Peru's potatoes have the right stuff?
秘魯?shù)耐炼鼓芙?jīng)受住考驗嗎？

That's the question scientists will be asking in Lima next month, when a selection of tubers will begin undergoing tests to determine whether they're fit to grow on Mars.
這是下個月科學(xué)家將要在秘魯首都利馬問的一個問題，屆時，經(jīng)過精心挑選的土豆塊莖將接受測試，以確定它們能否在火星上種植。

NASA, the US space agency, is conducting the pioneering experiment together with Lima's International Potato Center (CIP).
美國航天局（NASA）將與利馬國際馬鈴薯中心（CIP）聯(lián)手，進行這一開創(chuàng)性實驗。

They will cultivate a hundred selected varieties already subjected to rigorous evaluation in extreme, Mars-like conditions that could eventually pave the way to building a dome on the Red Planet for farming the vegetable.
他們將對100種精心挑選的、已在類火星極端環(huán)境下嚴(yán)格評估的品種進行培育，而這最終將為人們在這顆紅色星球上建立蔬菜種植“大棚”鋪平道路。

The selection was made from a total of 4,500 varieties registered at CIP, a nonprofit research facility that aims to reduce poverty and achieve food security.
國際馬鈴薯中心是一個致力于削減貧困、保證糧食安全的非營利研究機構(gòu)。這些土豆是從在國際馬鈴薯中心登記注冊的4500個品種中挑選出來的。

Of the selected candidates, 40 are native to the Andes Mountains, conditioned to grow in different ecological zones, withstand sudden climate changes and reproduce in rocky, arid terrain.
在獲選土豆中，有40種是安第斯山脈土生土長的品種。這些品種可在不同生態(tài)地區(qū)生長、對氣候的突然變化具有耐受性，并可在多巖石的干旱土壤中生長繁育。

The other 60 are genetically modified varieties able to survive with little water and salt. They are also immune to viruses.
另外60種土豆均為轉(zhuǎn)基因品種，能夠在缺水和低鈉的環(huán)境中生存。此外，這些品種還對病毒免疫。

Those that pass the tests must meet a final criterion -- they must be able not only to grow well on Mars but also reproduce in large quantities.
這些品種最終必須達(dá)到一個標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：不僅能在火星上茁壯生長，而且還能被大量繁育。

"We're almost 100 percent certain that many of the selected potatoes will past the tests," said Julio Valdivia Silva, a Peruvian NASA astrobiologist who is taking part in the ambitious project.
參與美國航天局此項宏偉計劃的秘魯裔太空生物學(xué)家胡里奧·瓦爾迪維亞·席爾瓦說：“精選出來的土豆中，將會有不少品種通過測試，對此我們有百分百的把握?！?/p>

The scientists hope the experiment will also help address the earthly scourges of hunger and malnutrition by identifying varieties suited to growing in harsh conditions.
科學(xué)家還希望通過該實驗找出適合在嚴(yán)酷環(huán)境下生長的土豆種類，來幫助解決地球人口饑餓和營養(yǎng)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(zhǔn)備”，國際馬鈴薯中心的科學(xué)家揚·克魯茲說。“準(zhǔn)備應(yīng)對沙漠化、氣候變暖和高鹽分的土壤?！?/p>

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(qū)被認(rèn)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(fā)現(xiàn)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(xué)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(fù)雜大氣環(huán)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(nèi)，我們會得出實驗的具體結(jié)果。我們還將花至少五年的時間向火星發(fā)射無人探測器?！?/p>

The potential future space crop is also one of the oldest.
土豆這種未來極有可能占領(lǐng)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(xiàn)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(yīng)沙漠土壤，那么研究人員將對它們施以養(yǎng)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?！?/p>

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(shù)：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(yǎng)劑，并內(nèi)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(wù)提供補給。

英文來源：yahoo.com
譯者：心若水
審校&編輯：杜娟