Despite the fact that the space race was left behind a few decades ago, China still shows great interest in the development of space technology. The BBC reported last Monday (1st) that a project is underway in the country to grow seeds 340 kilometers from the surface of the Earth.

Named Luyuan 502, it is the second most popular wheat variety in China. However, the space-created environment caused them to change their DNA, which made them more resistant to drought, as well as resistance to certain diseases. This is all due to low gravity and the absence of Earth’s protective magnetic field.

Upon their return to the globe, the Chinese select these seeds and then cultivate them to create new genetics for popular foods. According to the BBC, scientists believe that growing in space could serve as a stimulus for agricultural adaptation.

According to Liu Luxiang, a leading Chinese expert on space mutagenesis, this process of “space mutagenesis generates beautiful mutations” in seeds. He is also director of the National Space Mutagenesis Center for Improvement of Agricultural Production at the Institute of Industrial Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

So far only positives

The researchers found that this Luyuan 502 variety had an 11% higher yield than standard wheat grown in China. In addition, it also proved to be more resistant to drought and pests. The data was provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

This ability to better adapt to adverse conditions has made the Luyuan 502 a success among farmers who are constantly affected by climate variability in the region. However, wheat seeds are just one of more than 200 crop varieties that have mutated in outer space.

This is because the country has sent several seeds into space over the past 30 years to make them more resilient. Among them, scientists sent rice, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, sesame, cotton, watermelons, tomatoes, peppers and many other vegetables into space.

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Source: BBC

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