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scientist have successfully grown watermelon in an improbable place : Antarctica .
The agricultural feat was part of an experiment at Vostok Station , a year - round Russian research post located at the Pole of Cold , so name because it ’s sort out as thecoldest place on Earth , where register temperatures once reached a frigid minus 128.6 degree Fahrenheit ( minus 89.2 level Celsius ) .
A scientist holds one of the watermelons outside the station’s greenhouse.
watermelon vine arose inwhat is now Sudan more than 4,300 years agoand show up in the neighborhood ’s ancient artwork , including at an Egyptian tomb in Saqqara . In other words , theberry evolvedfar out from the frigid environment of Antarctica .
To make Vostok Station ’s greenhouse more hospitable to watermelon , researcher from the Russian Antarctic Expedition of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute ( AARI ) , alongside colleagues from the Agrophysical Research Institute and the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences , created an oasis where they could increase the air temperature and humidity to atmospheric condition that were favorable to the juicy yield .
come to : sometime plant genome on record came from a Stone Age watermelon that mature in the Sahara
A watermelon growing in Antarctica.
The team purposely choose two sort of early - ripening watermelon not only for their delicious gustatory sensation but also for their power to conform to the scummy atmospheric pressure and lack of oxygen inside the nursery . They planted the seeds in a lean layer of soil relief and used special lighting that mimicked sunlight . Because there were no insects to pollinate the plants , the researchers were tasked with pollinating everything by hired hand , concord atranslated statementfrom AARI .
Exactly 103 sidereal day after planting the seeds , the researchers were greet by eight " ripe and sweet fruits " maturate across six different plants . The melons grew to be up to about 2 Egyptian pound ( 1 kilogram ) each with diameters of up to 5 inches ( 13 centimeters ) , according to a render statement from theRussian Geographical Society .
Not only was the experimentation successful in show that , under the right conditions , watermelon vine can be develop in the stale place on the major planet , but it also provided an exciting snack to the scientist living inAntarctica ’s harsh conditions .
" of course , all polar explorers were beaming to recollect the taste of summer , " Andrei Teplyakov , lead geophysicist of the AARI , tell the Russian Geographical Society . " Even the observation of seedlings , growth and the coming into court of fruits … [ elicited ] confident emotions . "
This is n’t the first time that garden truck has been grow at Vostok Station . In 2020 , researchers successfully maturate a variety of plant , including Anethum graveolens , Basil the Great , parsley , roquette and lolly , according to the statement .
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And in 2021 , Korean scientist grew watermelons at King Sejong Station in West Antarctica , which had a low memorialize temperature of minus 78.1 F ( subtraction 25.6 coulomb ) , according toThe Korean Bizwire .
Next up on the menu , the scientist plan to farm a variety of yield , admit blackberries , blueberry bush and strawberries .
