For the first time, China’s South Pole researchers can eat fresh vegetables grown regularly on site, according to Wang Zheng, the grower, who came home last month after a 400-day mission (任务) in Antarctica.

　　I came up with the idea after watching The Martian, a science fiction movie about an astronaut who survives alone on Mars by eating potatoes he grows there, Wang said on Friday from his home. “I understand how the main character feels when he watches a small green plant grow in a man-made environment,” said Wang.

　　Wang said the greenhouse at the Zhongshan Station, China抯 second research station in Antarctica, had only a low yield (r产量) when it was established. The amount was too small to make it possible for researchers to have vegetable dishes. To increase the yield, he reduced the number of vegetable varieties and focused on only some fast-growing ones, which makes the yield stable. He considered many factors, such as light, temperature and humidity. Light music is also played in the 16-square-meter greenhouse. “Light music is good for vegetable growth,” he said. As a result, during much of his stay there, at least one vegetable dish, such as cucumber or lettuce, was served at every meal for a group of 18 researchers working there.

　　Wang said he knew nothing about farming before he arrived at the station in December 2017. “I did this job probably because my office is next to the greenhouse, and as a doctor, I had more spare time than the researchers,” Wang said.

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