Inkspot: A stress-resilient, anthocyanin rich, dwarf tomato variant for off-world cultivation
Sarah Lang, A'nya Buckner, Solomon Jones, Gabrielle Erwin, Sally Lee, Rafael Loureiro

TL;DR
This study demonstrates that the Inkspot tomato variant exhibits high stress resilience, maintaining growth and fruit quality under simulated lunar regolith conditions, making it suitable for off-world agriculture.
Contribution
The paper introduces Inkspot, a novel stress-adaptive, anthocyanin-rich tomato variety with enhanced growth and stress tolerance in lunar regolith-like conditions, advancing space crop cultivation.
Findings
Inkspot maintains high germination rates in regolith
Inkspot shows increased anthocyanin content under stress
Inkspot develops a larger, more complex root system
Abstract
As humanity prepares for sustained off-world habitation, the development of regolith-based agriculture (RBA) is essential for achieving self-sufficiency in space crop production. However, lunar regolith's alkaline pH, poor water retention, and high metal content pose severe physiological and biochemical challenges to plant growth. This study evaluates the performance of Solanum lycopersicum 'Inkspot', a stress-adaptive, anthocyanin-rich tomato variant, in comparison to its progenitor 'Tiny Tim', under control and simulated lunar regolith (LHS-2) conditions. A randomized complete block design was used to assess germination dynamics, morphology, fruit quality, antioxidant activity, and root architecture across 80 replicates over 65 days in controlled chambers. Inkspot maintained high germination rates (85% in regolith) with low variation (CV = 14%) and showed only moderate reductions in…
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