Those seeds that travel with the Shenzhou spacecraft to and from space
Public reports show that my country has used retractable satellites to carry biological materials in space since 1987. National flags, special crop seeds, space biological experiment items, and commemorative items are all “frequent visitors” after opening the cabin. As a very important and rare space resource, the space environment can provide necessary conditions for various scientific experiments, and crop seeds, one of the “frequent visitors”, are even more important.
In the past 22 years since the launch of the Shenzhou series of spacecraft, it has also carried a large variety of seeds, and some of these crop seeds brought back from space have also been put into use. Some fruits and vegetables are already on the people’s table.
The Beijing News reported on the afternoon of September 27, the opening ceremony of the return cabin of the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft was held in Beijing. According to information from the China Manned Space Engineering Office, one of the opening ceremonies is to hand over the carried special crop seeds to Yunnan Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Space Breeding Industry Innovation Alliance.
According to the information released by the China Manned Space Engineering Office, space breeding is aerospace breeding, also known as space mutation breeding. It is to send crop seeds or mutagenic materials into space, using the high vacuum of space, cosmic rays, microgravity, etc. The common mutagenesis of the special environment causes the organisms to produce genetic mutations and then return to the land. After multiple generations of screening and cultivation by scientific researchers, new varieties with stable characteristics are formed.
Aerospace breeding is a new approach to agricultural breeding that integrates aerospace technology, biotechnology and agricultural breeding technology, and is one of the most cutting-edge scientific and technological topics in the agricultural field.
“Because there are charged high-energy particles in the space environment, and in the state of weightlessness and microgravity in space, the seeds and biological materials we carry will mutate due to sensitivity when exposed to weak radiation. Using the space carried this Plant mutations on the ground, select those that are heritable and meet our human requirements, and then breed them into new varieties.” In July this year, Chen Zhiqiang, director of the National Plant Aerospace Breeding Engineering Research Center, wrote “Large Lecture Hall” mentioned it.
Chen Zhiqiang said that in order to use space environment detection devices and ground simulation test facilities to study the biological effects and mechanisms of various space environmental factors, improve the efficiency of space breeding, and strengthen technical reserves. In 2006, my country made a special biological breeding satellite “Practice No. 8”. It carried more than two thousand materials such as grain, oil, cotton, vegetables, forest fruits and flowers, totaling 215 kilograms.
According to the Farmer’s Daily, after more than 30 years of development, our aerospace breeding industry has achieved fruitful results. The cumulative planting area of crops cultivated through aerospace breeding exceeded 2.4 million hectares, which increased the output of grain by about 1.3 billion kilograms, and created more than 200 billion yuan in direct economic benefits.
Shenzhou One
It was launched at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on November 20, 1999, and returned to the ground after 21 hours of flight. Part of the spacecraft carried are the seeds of crops such as green pepper, watermelon, corn, and barley, as well as Chinese medicinal materials such as licorice and isatis root.
[Landing application]
According to the Jiefang Daily, the Shenzhou-1 carried in the “Suzhou Green” cultivated by the vegetable gardening farm in the suburbs of Suzhou City, after landing, scientific researchers selected high-quality varieties to cultivate new products of space vegetables.
According to the Yunnan Daily, the 130 grams of Yunnan crop seeds that returned to the ground this time have also been implemented in Eshan, Yuxi Hongta Group Experimental Base, and Yunnan Agricultural University Experimental Farm.
Shenzhou II
Launched on January 10, 2001, the spacecraft’s return module returned to the ground after flying in orbit for 7 days.
The spacecraft carries two space general-purpose biological incubators in the sky. There are a total of 19 categories and 25 species of plants, animals, aquatic organisms, microorganisms, cells and cell tissues. Among them are asparagus cypress, round red radish, tomato, cucumber, cabbage, green cabbage and other 4 kinds of vegetables with a total weight of 100 grams, including 20,000 seeds.
Shenzhou III
Launched into space on March 25, 2002, the spacecraft carried seeds of seedless test-tube grape seedlings, plum trees, caryophyllales, orchids and other plants.
[Landing application]
According to the Sichuan Daily, the 38 crop seeds returned from Shenzhou-3 were handed over to Panzhihua Tianxiang Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. by the China Academy of Space Technology for selection and cultivation.
Shenzhou 4
Launched on December 30, 2002. The spacecraft carries hundreds of seeds or samples including sunflower, rice, watermelon, and medicinal materials.
[Landing application]
According to Zhejiang Today Morning Post, in April 2003, the melon and fruit base of the Hangzhou Seed Company planted seeds returned from space, including 338 space watermelon seeds, as well as 5,000 seeds such as petunia and Chinese dianthus. Most of the seeds are growing well.
Shenzhou V
my country’s first manned spacecraft was launched on October 15, 2003. The spacecraft carried green peppers, tomatoes, rice, and pumpkin seeds.
[Landing application]
In 2004, according to the Harbin Daily report, after the pumpkin seeds carried by Shenzhou V returned to the ground, they were bred by a certain “Tiger Group” production base in Harbin. The bred pumpkins weighed 300 to 400 jin, which was a veritable “giant”. pumpkin.
Shenzhou VI
Launched into space on October 12, 2005, the spacecraft contained lotus grains, Pu’er tea, and microbial strains.
[Landing application]
In 2006, according to Xinhua News Agency, tomato seeds returned from space were carefully cultivated by agricultural experts and bear fruit. According to the report, each space tomato plant produces 6 layers with 4 to 7 fruits per layer.
Shenzhou 12
Launched on June 17, 2021. This is the fourth mission of the China Space Station’s key technology verification phase and the first manned mission in the space station phase. Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo performed flight missions. They stayed and worked in the space station for three months, breaking the record of Chinese astronauts’ space residence time in a single mission.
The spacecraft contained the China-Pakistan flag and certificate handed over to the representative of Pakistan in China, the Namibian flag and certificate handed over to the representative of Namibia in China, the handover of youth science experiment items to the China Care for the Next Generation Working Committee, as well as to the Hui people in Yunnan Province and Ningxia. The autonomous region, the Aerospace Breeding Industry Innovation Alliance, etc. handed over the seeds of special crops.
Shenzhou 11
Launched into space on October 17, 2016, the spacecraft carried items including Guangdong’s “Yinghong 9” tea varieties.
[Landing application]
In 2017, according to Qingyuan’s public announcement, a total of 30 “Yinghong 9” seeds returned from space. Through the efforts of tea experts and after nearly three months of careful cultivation, 4 seeds have germinated and survived.
Shenzhou Ten
Launched on June 11, 2013. In the spacecraft, there are 100 grams of ginseng seeds and 31 grams of American ginseng seeds from Macau, the seeds of Dahongpao and Lapsang Souchong, the famous tea from Fujian Province, as well as eggplant, tomato, cucumber, watermelon, melon, yew and other varieties.
[Landing application]
According to the official source of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the seeds commissioned by Macau University of Science and Technology returned after the spacecraft returned. Fusong County Ginseng Industry Office jointly organized an expert group to conduct genetic analysis, variety breeding, agronomic research, chemical analysis, biological activity testing, product research and development on seeds.
Shenzhou 9
Launched into space on June 16, 2012, the spacecraft contained seeds of Yunnan Pu’er tea, big tree rhododendron, and ancient yew trees.
[Landing application]
In 2012, according to a report from China Daily, the heavenly plant seeds selected by the Xi’an Aerospace Base Aerospace Breeding Industry Demonstration Park returned to the demonstration park for a new round of ground selection and breeding.
Shenzhou 8
Launched into space on November 1, 2011, the spacecraft contained 33 biological samples including sweet-scented osmanthus trees, Luo Han Guo, reeds, and “Fujian beans”.
[Landing application]
In 2011, according to the Quanzhou Evening News, the seeds of “Minjia Beans” will be handed over to Huaqiao University and Quanzhou Institute of Agricultural Sciences for selection and cultivation. Bean seeds will be first settled in Dawu Village, Dongqiao Town, Hui’an, Quanzhou.
Shenzhou VII
Launched into space on September 25, 2008, the spacecraft carried 87 strains including microbial strains, hybrid rice, and ancient lotus seeds.
[Landing application]
In 2009, according to Xinhua News Agency, the selection and breeding of 87 strains of vegetable seeds was carried out at the Aerospace Breeding Engineering Center of Gansu Province, and some vegetable seedlings have shown variation.
■ Secret
What are the conditions for the seed to go to heaven?
According to the China Daily, the space to carry in space is limited, and the carrying units have strict requirements on the quantity and quality of the carried items. The selected seeds are generally good crop seeds with good genetic stability, strong disease resistance and high yield. After the seed is selected, it is first submitted to the carrying unit, and the relevant experts will evaluate the scientific and economic value, and then send it to space after being selected.
According to a report by the Farmer’s Daily, through space breeding, Chinese scientific and technological workers have bred some new mutation types and new strains with excellent agronomic traits. For example, in rice, high-yield and high-quality strains with a 20% increase in yield have been obtained through selection and breeding trials, with a yield of 400-600 kg per mu, and some up to 750 kg, and the protein content has increased by 8%-20%.
In terms of vegetables, space-treated green peppers have obtained a new early-maturing and disease-resistant strain with a single fruit weight of 350 to 500 grams, and the yield per mu can be doubled.
New Beijing News trainee reporter Zhang Jianlin
.