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January 29, 2016 CapitalPress.com 7 Author, scientist inspired by Martian spud research By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press File photo Phil Nolte, a retired potato seed pathologist who writes science fiction novels, speaks prior to his retirement from University of Idaho during a tour of potato research plots at the UI’s Aberdeen Research & Extension Center. Nolte has offered an assessment of the science behind potato production on Mars included in the book and movie “The Martian” and is intrigued by proposed research to test potato production in a simulated Martian environment. File photo Phil Nolte holds several science fiction novels. have to travel much farther to reach spuds on Mars, and researchers will have to find contingencies for extreme temperature fluctuations. According to a press release, the joint research project aims to “raise awareness of the incredi- ble resilience of potatoes” and should demonstrate that farming is possible in the most challenging of envi- ronments on Earth. The re- searchers also believe the project will provide valu- able insight into production possibilities in the face of climate change. Soil from the Pampas de La Joya Desert in Peru will be used to simulate Martian dirt, and the atmosphere will be manipulated in a lab- oratory to have 95 percent carbon dioxide, as on Mars. “We need people to un- derstand that if we can grow potatoes in extreme condi- tions like those on Mars, STEEL New Steel • Fasteners • Stainless Steel • New & Used Pipe • Beams • Springs • Turnbuckles Used Cable • Fence Clips • Cable Clamps • Oil Field Sucker Rod in all sizes Chris Schnepf develops master forest steward programs Direct Ship & Cutting Available By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press 400 3rd Ave. North Nampa, ID 83687 208-466-8913 (FAX) 800-851-8612 208-466-0036 Matthew Weaver/Capital Press Chris Schnepf, University of Idaho Extension area educator in forestry, talks about his work outside the UI Extension office in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Schnepf provides experienced foresters and first-time small forest landowners with the information they need. Schnepf works with log- gers and forest owners to de- termine how their needs can influence UI research. Log- gers in particular are looking for more efficient and sus- tainable timber management methods, he said. Al Kyle in Athol, Idaho, is part of the master forest stew- ards program, designed by Schnepf so that experienced foresters can advise newcom- ers. “He’s a personable person — he’s interested in the peo- ple and helping them to really manage what they have better all the time so we can improve the health of the forests all Chris Schnepf Occupation: Area Extension Educator-Forester Hometown: LeMars, Iowa Current location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Age: 54 Family: Married, three children Website: http://www.uidaho. edu/extension/forestry over the state,” Kyle said of Schnepf. “He’s effective. He’s been a real asset to the forest community.” Janet Benoit in Carey- wood, Idaho, is also a master forest steward. “I think he has had quite an impact with those people who actually want to learn something about their prop- erty,” Benoit said. “He makes certain he is hitting what they think they need to learn.” Schnepf enjoys the reac- tions from people who are “grateful to learn something new about something they were struggling with.” “I work with so many people who just love to learn about this stuff,” he said. “You get energized by that. It’s a real high satisfaction job.” This story first appeared Jan. 30, 2015. GRAIN MERCHANDISING Soft White Wheat Yellow Corn Barley Dark Northern Spring COMMODITIES MERCHANDISING Distiller Grains Canola Meal Cottonseed Soybean Meal Call Will Kiesel Call Michelle Ellway IDIN16-1/#17 IDAHO 14,000 ACRES - 9,866 deeded + BLM & State. 500 cow/calf or 1,000 head summer yearlings. Quality home and improvements, live stream. 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Gooding, Idaho DAIRY FARM - 1358 animal units, double 14 parallel rapid exit, milking 970 head, 1386 lockups. On 120 acres, 76 under pivot. Home and supporting improvements. Call Edie Nunes, 208-308-5945. Our employees place a high priority on what our customers need in order to succeed. www.rjrealty.com 1766 Addison Ave. E Twin Falls, Idaho 208-733-0404 (208) 466-5697 2682 2nd St. So., Nampa, ID Count on Scoular People Bob Jones, Broker • 208-308-6060 Mark Jones, Associate Broker • 208-308-3030 IDIN16-2/#16 www.Farmseller.com IDIN16-1/#17 COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — When forest owners in the Idaho Panhandle began notic- ing an increase in the snow- shoe hare population, Chris Schnepf went looking for an expert. When he couldn’t find one, Schnepf put in the time to re- search the hare compared to other possible causes of dam- age to young trees and shrubs, grasses and other plants. Schnepf hasn’t gotten a lot of calls about damage yet, but said the hare population goes through a nine- or 10-year cy- cle. It’s all in a day’s work for Schnepf, University of Idaho Extension educator for for- estry in the Idaho Panhandle. He’s worked for the extension service since 1988. Schnepf speaks to a broad audience that includes fam- ily forest owners, who own roughly 40 percent of the forest land in the panhandle; loggers; and professional for- esters. “My goal is to give them enough forest ecological liter- acy to make decisions that are going to help them meet their goals in their forest,” he said. Working in the forest is not the main job for most family forest owners. Schnepf es- timated only a few dozen in the region earn the majority of their income from logging. Some are also farmers. “Most (family forest own- ers) have very little training on their forests, even simple things like tree identifica- tion,” he said. “It’s very dif- ferent from cereal producers, where you have people who have been growing a crop most of their lives and do a fair amount of management activity every year. A lot of our time is spent giving peo- ple a basic literacy on forestry and forest ecology.” MOUN Y T CK IN A Forester teaches tree owners management we can save lives on Earth,” Joel Ranck, an International Potato Center spokesman, said in the press release. In Weir’s story, stranded NASA astronaut Mark Wat- ney plants spuds, originally packed for a holiday meal, using his own excrement as fertilizer. Nolte’s major criticism of the science in the book is that spuds would either have to be treated with a sprout inhibitor, which would hin- der growth, or they would break dormancy much too soon during the roughly RO IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — As a retired potato seed pathologist who also writes science fiction novels, Phil Nolte will pay close atten- tion when NASA and the International Potato Center seek to prove the plausibil- ity of growing potatoes on Mars. The experiment could help validate a central theme in one of Nolte’s favorite books, “The Martian,” by Andy Weir, which brought the concept of raising spuds on the Red Planet to the world’s consciousness. Nolte, who retired in early 2015 from Universi- ty of Idaho and released his fourth novel, “The Deimos Artifact,” on Dec. 15, under- stands authors must some- times stretch the truth for the sake of a good story. With a few plot tweaks, Nolte be- lieves the crop production system described in “The Martian,” now a major mo- tion picture, could be made “good enough.” Stretching the truth, however, won’t be an op- tion when a team of scien- tists seeks to raise potatoes in Peru, in conditions sim- ulating the growing envi- ronment of a hypothetical climate-controlled dome on Mars. Without artistic license at their disposal, Nolte has no idea if the simulation will succeed, but he sees value in the effort. “I’m one of those people who at least hopes we man- age to colonize other places besides just the planet we’re on now,” Nolte said. “A first step to try to make things like that happen is to try to create environments like this and see how your food source would do.” Nolte said sunlight would 10-month journey to Mars. Furthermore, Watney imme- diately replanted the seed tu- bers he raised, though Nolte notes potato seed requires a dormancy period before sprouting. To fix the discrepancies, Nolte suggests the author could have explained the presence of the potatoes as part of a science experiment, perhaps proposed by a ma- jor chemical manufacturer testing a new sprout inhibi- tor. Watney could then break dormancy in both the initial seed supply and the seed saved for replanting with a chemical included for the company’s experiment. Nolte noted seed pota- to certification programs in Idaho and other major spud states use chemicals, such as gibberillic acid or rindite, to induce sprouting of seeds harvested during fall and planted shortly thereafter in winter trial plots in warmer climates. Nolte has also read reviews by critics who doubt Watney could have produced enough “fertilizer.” However, Nolte approves of the author’s choice of using a potato as the astro- naut’s staple food. “The potato is short a couple of amino acids from being a perfect food,” Nolte said, noting researchers tried several years ago to intro- duce those missing amino acids to the potato through biotechnology. Nolte acknowledges he may be nitpicking, but he believes attention to detail is the key to helping readers suspend their disbelief. He’s sold roughly 13,000 copies of his first three space od- ysseys. Coincidentally, his latest book is named after a moon of Mars.
