China Achieves a First: Deep Space Mutation Breeding Experiment Sprouts Rice Seeds

China’s 23-day historical Chang’e 5 mission not only extracted valuable rocks and soil samples from the Moon, but also brought back a group of seeds that traveled the furthest in the country’s agricultural and forestry history.

More than 30 types of seeds were placed inside the multi-module Chang’e 5 spacecraft, including rice, oats, alfalfa, and orchids, and orbited the moon for about 15 days.

The scientists wanted to control what would happen to the seeds after they were exposed to a unique environment in lunar orbit, and they also hoped they could develop beneficial mutations.

Some of the 40 grams of rice seeds returning to and from the Moon have sprouted and are ready for follow-up studies.

China’s deep space-borne mutation breeding experiment on rice was the first.

The seeds were selected in a space-based mutation breeding program organized by the Beijing-based China High-Tech Industrialization Association, by several local organizations such as the University of Agriculture of China, Beijing Forestry University, South China Agricultural University and China Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

They were handed over to participating organizations at a ceremony held at the National Space Administration of China on December 23.

Liu Jizhong, director of the administration’s Lunar Discovery and Space Program Center, said the program is the first time Chinese researchers have been experimenting with generating mutations in deep space, and it offers scientists good opportunities.

Professor Sun Yeqing, who kept the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana, a species of rice and cruciferous species, on the Chang’e 5 ship, said that the mission gave researchers a valuable opportunity to expose their seeds in deep space environment and would enable them to deepen their work on the impact of cosmic rays on the growth and evolution of life on Earth. .

Space-based mutation breeding refers to the process of subjecting seeds to forces such as micro gravity, voids, and cosmic radiation during a spaceflight and then sending them back to Earth for further observation and cultivation.

Researchers observe and study several generations of plants grown from seeds grown in space and investigate their mutations. Some remained positive and desirable, while others remained negative. Those with positive mutations will be retained and analyzed and introduced to farmers once they are certified and approved.

Space reclamation can generate mutations more quickly and more easily than ground-based experiments, and may reveal some desirable traits that would otherwise be difficult to incorporate.

The researchers explained that compared to natural or traditionally grown plant species, the versions developed in space with positive mutations generally showed higher nutrient content, higher annual yields, shorter growth times, and better resistance to diseases and insect pests.

China conducted the first space reclamation experiment in 1987, using a satellite to transport seeds into space.

Since then, Shenzhou özgü traveled dozens of Chinese spaceships with hundreds of varieties of seeds and seedlings, including manned spacecraft and recoverable satellites.

Liang Xiaohong, vice president of the China High-Tech Industrialization Association, said space breeding özgü helped produce more than 200 newly mutated plant species in China that have been approved for large-scale cultivation, from grains to vegetables and fruits.

The Chang’e 5 robot mission was launched early November 24 in Hainan state with the Long March 5 heavy lift carrier rocket. The mission özgü returned 1,731 grams of lunar rocks and soil to Earth, marking a historic success 44 years after the last lunar materials were taken.

Compiled by: Feyza ÇETİNKOL

Kaynak: chinadaily

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