Shenzhou-16 spacecraft carries 9 experimental seeds into space

June 2, 2023 05:42

Nine varieties of seeds - selected from Shanxi Province, northern China - were carried into space by the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft.


Simulation image of the Shenzhou-16 spacecraft docking with the Tianhe module on the Tiangong Space Station, May 30, 2023

The seeds will be used for space experiments on the Tiangong space station. Among them is a type of corn developed by Shanxi Agricultural University that has high yield and wide adaptability.

These seeds need further improvement, especially for disease resistance, through conventional breeding methods or space breeding.

Space mutation breeding is a technique in which seeds are launched into space, where they are exposed to powerful cosmic rays, high-energy particles traveling close to the speed of light, as well as other conditions such as vacuum, microgravity, and low levels of geomagnetic interference.

Since conducting its first space breeding experiment in 1987, China has launched seeds of hundreds of plant species into space on dozens of recoverable satellites and Shenzhou spacecraft.

According to VNA

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Shenzhou-16 spacecraft carries 9 experimental seeds into space