Western Australia
April 23, 2025
Imagine a future where plants don’t just thrive on Earth – but sustain human life beyond our planet. Plants for Space, with The University of Western Australia as a leading partner, is pioneering fast-growing, zero-waste, ‘pick and eat’ plants designed for long-term survival in space and you can explore this bold vision at the Perth Garden Show next month.
Professor Ian Small, from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space and UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences said the project team was working to develop ‘complete nutrition’ plants that could sustain human health in space for an entire year.
“The centre’s mission goes beyond food, aiming to design biobank plants that provide medicine, plant-based building materials and sustainable solutions both on and off Earth,” Professor Small said.
“The impact of Plants for Space extends beyond scientific innovation – it is helping shape future careers in the space, agriculture and food industries, as well as in sustainability, cultivating a workforce ready for tomorrow’s challenges,” Professor Small said.
Visitors to the Plants for Space exhibit will experience the future of food and bioresource production firsthand through engaging interactive exhibits as well as hands-on experiments.
“People can explore duckweed as a food source, witness how gravity affects plant growth in space, and dive into research shaping the future of sustainable food production,” Professor Small said.
For kids and adults alike, there will be interactive take-home science projects, designed to inspire curiosity in space agriculture and sustainable innovation. They can also step into an AI-generated vision of life in space, offering a glimpse into how plants could play a vital role beyond Earth.
Plants for Space will share a marquee with landscape architecture staff and students from UWA’s School of Design and ARC Senior Industry Research Fellow Dr Cornelia Hooper from UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences.
A computational biologist, Dr Hooper and her team study how plants inherit traits like colour, leaf pattern, and resilience which helps accelerate breeding of new varieties derived from rare, naturally occurring variants without DNA manipulation.
The Hooper Lab will display the first round of breeding trials using an exceptionally rare, variegated Kangaroo Paw ‘Stripie’, a plant not only eye-catching but tough enough for Australian gardens.
Show-goers will also be able to chat to Dr Simon Kilbane and students from UWA’s landscape architecture program who will showcase their inspiring work, including creative design solutions and inspiring ideas.
Discover how the next generation of designers is collaborating with the more-than-human world to shape biodiverse, resilient landscapes – both natural and built.
Tackling complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, urban ecology and water-sensitive design, these projects demonstrate how innovative thinking can transform spaces at every scale.
Perth Garden Show runs from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 May at McCallum Park in Perth. See here for all details and to buy tickets.
Topics
Species
