China Focus: Moonfaring grass seeds to sprout on Earth

Space breeding refers to exposing seeds and strains to cosmic radiation and microgravity during a spaceflight mission to mutate their genes.

When the space-bred samples are brought back to Earth, scientists will examine and evaluate their mutations. Compared with naturally bred types, some are positive, conferring properties such as greater yields, shorter growth periods, and better resistance to diseases.

In June 2022, four species of grass seeds from Xinjiang were sent aboard the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship for a trip to China's orbiting Tiangong space station.

The returned seeds showed significant changes, with yields apparently one-third higher than those of ordinary seeds, and they also exhibited greater resilience, Zheng noted.

Such results exceeded scientists' expectations. Zheng and his team saw the potential in space-bred grass seeds and looked forward to exploring this line of research further.

"This was the first time we sent Xinjiang grass seeds to the moon," Zheng said.

The greater distance and the unknown situation on the far side of the moon may produce more mysterious consequences on the breeding trial, Zheng told Xinhua, explaining the reasoning behind taking seeds on a lunar mission.

"It is like opening a blind box; we may discover unexpected rewards and achieve exciting technological breakthroughs," Zheng said.

In the next few years, scientists will continue to analyze the returned grass seeds and select outstanding strains by integrating space breeding, biological breeding and even artificial intelligence (AI). After at least three generations of cultivation, the variation traits will become stably inherited and lead to a new variety with superior quality.

However, Zheng admitted that no concrete progress has been made in using AI in the research so far.

In recent years, space breeding news has enjoyed significant exposure across Chinese media. A variety of agricultural crops including rice, wheat, mushrooms and tea plants have been transported into space via recoverable satellites and subsequently returned to Earth for further cultivation.

Data showed that China has carried out more than 3,000 space breeding experiments, growing more than 240 varieties of staple grains and hundreds of new varieties of vegetables, fruits, grasses and flowers. They have helped increase grain production by more than 2 billion kilograms per year, generating direct economic benefits of more than 100 billion yuan (about $13.9 billion).

Xinjiang is the largest and most widely distributed area of desertified land in China, and its saline-alkali land area accounts for about one-third of the country's total.

The cultivation and utilization of excellent grass seeds will undoubtedly play an important role in the development of both animal husbandry and ecological conservation, Zheng noted.