SPACE-MUTATED CROPS ARE A GREAT SUCCESS
Humanity’s desire for high-yielding crops is as old as civilization itself.
In China, this is best illustrated by the fact that 41 of the country’s 56 ethnic groups have their own myths about the creation of fertile seeds, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Ethnic Literature.
The Dong ethnic group believes that seeds were bestowed by deities showing compassion to mortals; according to the folklore of the Wa ethnic group, they were spat out by a worlddevouring snake slain by the Heaven God.
Now, modern technologies have produced quality seeds from an equally fantastic source: outer space.
These seeds have produced a range of crops, from vines that sprawl across 1,300 square feet of land and bear 10,000 tomatoes, to giant black-eyed pea sprouts measuring nearly 3 feet long, said the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
This progress has been achieved through spaceinduced mutation breeding, also known as space mutagenesis.
In China, hundreds of varieties of space crops have been planted nationwide. They are a key pillar supporting food security, as well as an innovative approach to improving farmers’ yields and combating rural poverty.
The International Atomic Energy Agency defines spaceinduced mutation breeding as a technique in which seeds are taken into space and exposed to strong cosmic rays — high-energy particles traveling close to the speed of light — as well as other conditions such as vacuums, microgravity and low levels of geomagnetic interference.
This method does not involve transferring genes from one organism to another, as is the case with genetically modified food. Instead, it generates random but potentially useful traits by using a plant’s genetic material, mimicking the natural process of spontaneous mutation, albeit at a significantly accelerated rate, the agency said.
Since the 1920s, seeds have been exposed to radiation or chemicals by scientists to induce greater yield, stability and adaptability to climate change. More than 2,500 varieties of plants bred through mutagenesis have been officially released, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, a UN agency.
Space is a new setting in which to conduct this timetested breeding method, and the IAEA, FAO and the World Health Organization consider space crops safe to consume, as long as they pass rigorous testing and approval processes.
In the 1960s the United States and the then Soviet Union carried out space mutation breeding for scientific research and to make living in space more sustainable for astronauts.
On Aug 5, 1987, China launched its first seed samples into space, opening a new chapter for the country’s space-induced mutation breeding. Since then, Chinese scientists have sent more than 30 batches of seeds into space, using a range of satellites and spacecraft, according to CASTC.
Chengcheng county in Shaanxi province is home to Piperisdahongpao, a variety of spice commonly known as big red robe peppercorn that is widely used in Chinese cuisine.
The spice has been used since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) for cooking, medicine, rituals and even for palace decorations, according to the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
However, it has a notoriously low yield and is difficult to harvest as the plant stems are covered with sharp thorns. For centuries it was considered a “tribute spice” enjoyed only by the privileged, the
best-known being Empress Dou of the Han Dynasty, who decorated her chamber with the condiment to signify fertility and prestige.
It is still not cost-effective to produce this spice.
“A laborer can only pick about 16.5 pounds of this peppercorn a day, and after it is dried in the sun, less than 4.5 lb is left,” said Guo Rui, director of the Shaanxi Province Engineering Research Center for Plant Space Breeding.
In 2016 Guo and his team sent some of the spice seeds into orbit for 12 days aboard the Shijian-10 recoverable science satellite.
The team was aiming to create a new variety of peppercorn with stronger resistance to wind and disease, but it discovered something far more exciting: the thorns on the stems had disappeared.
“Generating unexpected new traits is one of the main features of space-induced mutation breeding,” Guo said.
Guo’s thornless peppercorn is undergoing field tests, he said. It is hoped that more traits can be changed to enable it to be harvested by machine, greatly increasing the yield and raising farmers’ earnings. In addition to spices, crops such as peonies, wolfberries and seaberries are being improved by using space technologies.
“Space crops have played a major role in alleviating poverty, developing local economies and creating unique products,” Guo said.
In 2003 China approved its first space rice, Huahang-1, which was planted on 1,290 square miles of land in the south of the country. From 2010 to 2012 the crops created by the National Engineering Research Center of Plant Space Breeding covered a total plantation area of more than 2,400 sq mi, with farmers’ earnings rising by nearly 1 billion yuan ($152 million).
“Space crops have played a major role in alleviating poverty, developing local economies and creating unique products.”
GUO RUI