At the beginning of January, the reporter came to the Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Cultivation and Development and Utilization. The constant-temperature lamp in the seedling box emitted soft and warm light. 300 grams of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seeds were placed in it. Under the careful cultivation of scientific researchers, dozens of seeds grew. Small green buds emerge.
These are not ordinary Zanthoxylum bungeanum seeds. They once "traveled in space" on my country's first reusable returnable technology test satellite - Shijian No. 19, and will be transplanted to the red soil in Dongchuan District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province in the future. , start a new journey of life.
Agricultural modernization, seeds are the foundation. In the vast fields of "South of Colorful Clouds", seeds returned from space take root, germinate, and bear fruit, accelerating the innovative development of germplasm resources and continuously empowering the advancement of agricultural modernization.
The seed of the plateau "Wandering in the Nine Heavens"
Among the many scientific research and experimental items carried by Shijian No. 19, a total of 7,800 grams of items were selected and sent by more than 20 units in Yunnan, covering flowers, Chinese medicinal materials, wild fungi, tea, coffee and other plateau specialty seeds or products.
80 grams is the carrying indicator obtained by Jiang Hong, a researcher at the Key Laboratory of the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland Sciences.
"I only choose to give away one variety - 12 bottles of Dendrobium purpurea tissue culture seedlings, it's called 'Purple Jade'." Jiang Hong has devoted more than ten years of effort to this new variety, but still cannot solve the problem of low germination rate. "We have tried all the methods on the ground. We will send it to space to see if we can get any surprises."
Yunnan has systematically promoted aerospace breeding since 2012 and has participated in multiple launch missions such as Shenzhou 9, Shenzhou 10, Tiangong 2, Shenzhou 11, and Shijian 10.
Staff of the Yunnan Provincial Space Biotechnology Development Promotion Association are checking the seed information for carrying the Shijian 19 satellite into space (photo taken on July 25, 2024). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Luo Xincai)
Jiang Xiaowei, president of the Yunnan Provincial Space Biotechnology Development Promotion Association, said that the weight of the items carried by Yunnan on the 19th exceeded the total weight of the previous ten years.
The payload resources of spacecraft are extremely precious. It is not easy for a seed to win the opportunity to travel into space. It needs to have an excellent industrial foundation and development potential, and it must be able to adapt to the harsh environment of space.
At the same time, the scientific research units undertaking the research must have solid accumulation of early scientific research work and strong late-stage research and development capabilities to ensure the smooth progress of the space launch project.
Yunnan Agricultural University, Zhaotong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lijiang Institute of Agricultural Sciences... Many of the items carried by Practice No. 19 came from grassroots universities and scientific research institutes. "Seeds sent to heaven have opened up a vast space for breeding research." Jiang Hong lamented.
This is the seed selected by the Kunming Academy of Agricultural Sciences to carry the Shijian-19 satellite into space (photo taken on July 25, 2024). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Luo Xincai)
Since China's ninth returnable satellite first flew into space carrying crop seeds in 1987, China's aerospace breeding has gone through more than 30 years of development.
Liu Luxiang, secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and chief scientist of the National Aerospace Breeding Project, said that in the entire mutation breeding database of the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are more than 3,400 mutant varieties registered, of which about 10,000 varieties were bred in China. One-third.
Yunnan Province highlights plateau characteristic species resources and uses aerospace breeding to screen dozens of new germplasm resources in Chinese medicinal materials, flowers, wild fungi, lactic acid bacteria, coffee and other species, enriching the diversity of my country's aerospace breeding species library. In 2016, the "China Space Breeding Plateau Characteristic Species Center" and the "Yunnan Space Flower Innovation Demonstration Base" were established in Yunnan.
Staff from the Yunnan Provincial Space Biotechnology Development Promotion Association are photographing 12 bottles of Dendrobium purpurea tissue culture seedlings that were carried into space aboard the Shijian 19 satellite (photographed on July 25, 2024). Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Luo Xincai)
It often takes more than ten years, or even decades, to develop a new variety.
“种子上天为育种工作按下‘快进键’。”云南省科技厅二级巡视员王立新说，种子在“遨游太空”的较短时间里，能产生地面上难以实现的变异，可以显著缩短新样本的选育周期。
The "Gorgeous Butterfly Transformation" of Space Seed
Spaceflight mutagenesis is like "opening a blind box". No one can tell what kind of mutations they have before actual breeding.
During the Xiaohan season, the sunshine in Yunnan is warm. In the greenhouse of Kunming Chinese Medicinal Material Space Breeding Germplasm Resource Garden, the changes of several Erigeron plants that "went to the sky" with Shenzhou 12 can be seen with the naked eye.
Erigeron officinale is known as the "spiritual grass of southern Yunnan". It has the functions of promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals, dispelling wind and cold, and relieving pain. The main medicinal parts are the leaves.
"The leaves changed from slender to spoon-shaped. Not only did the area double, but the number also increased significantly." Yang Bin, a researcher at the Institute of Medicinal Plants of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the change after "going to heaven" means an increase in yield.
In the greenhouse of the Kunming Chinese Medicinal Material Space Breeding Germplasm Resource Garden, Yang Bin, a researcher at the Institute of Medicinal Plants of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is checking the growth of Erigeron plants (photo taken on December 17, 2024). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xinbo
The road to aerospace breeding is not smooth sailing.
In 2016, with the support of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences sent 50 grams of edible wild mushroom strains such as morels and truffles into space for the first time.
"At that time, the key technology for seed protection in space was not yet mastered, so the bacteria had no chance of survival and had to wait for the next opportunity," said Zhao Qi, a researcher at the institute.
随着我国航天技术不断发展和太空育种经验日益丰富，回到地面的种子存活率显著提高。5年后，264份、共100克野生食用菌菌种成功搭乘神舟十二号飞船上天。
"The survival rate of the returned strains reached 90%. After follow-up research, we developed white ginseng with better taste and morels with larger caps," Zhao Qi said.
This is a morel taken at the Yunnan Space Biotechnology Development Promotion Association (photographed on November 25, 2024). On the left is the common morel, and on the right is the morel cultivated through aerospace breeding technology. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xinbo
The genetic mutations produced by seeds "traveling in space" are random, and the traits can be good or bad. Ground selection is very important. Multi-generation screening and cultivation are required to select the best from the best. It can take as short as three to five years or as long as more than ten years to pass the production, resistance, quality, etc. If there is a problem in any link, all previous efforts may be wasted.
Take the Chinese medicinal material Gentian Yunnan as an example. After its release in 2013, after 7 years of selection, tissue culture multiplication, and planting experiments, the high-yield and highly resistant "gentian Yunnan Space No. 1 and 2" were finally screened out. "No. 3, No. 3" new varieties have been recognized as the National Traditional Chinese Medicinal Materials Breeding Base.
Space breeding has opened up a new breeding path that connects heaven and earth. More and more seeds are embarking on this journey full of hope and challenges, achieving beautiful butterfly transformations.
The morels bred through aerospace breeding technology are eye-catching for "foodies": wild dried morels are only the size of an adult's little finger, while those bred by aerospace are half the size of a palm. Flower varieties have also made new breakthroughs in terms of color brightness and petal layering.
Tian Liantong, a technician at Yunnan Jinke Flower Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., said: "The size and color of the 'Rose from the Stars' plant are different from ordinary roses, bringing a brand new visual experience to consumers."
At the Rose Planting Demonstration Garden of Modern Agriculture Park in Anning City, Yunnan Province, technician Tian Liantong records the number of space-bred roses (photo taken on October 20, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Chao
Researchers are looking forward to the Zanthoxylum bungeanum seeds that have recently returned to the ground.
"Zanthoxylum bungeanum has apomictic characteristics and cannot be used to breed new varieties through traditional cross-breeding methods." Lu Bin, a second-level researcher at the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland Sciences, said that he hopes that the seeds returned with the practice on the 19th will be able to breed high-yielding, high-quality New varieties of Zanthoxylum bungeanum.
The seeds of enriching the people take root “into the ground”
In the spacious hall of the Institute of Crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, rows of transparent jars contain numerous "space seeds."
Up to now, the Institute of Crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has developed multiple wheat space varieties such as "Hangmai 247", "Hangmai 2566" and "Hangmai 287", and has jointly implemented industrialization with seed companies.
"'Hangmai 802' has a salt tolerance of level 1 and can produce more than 450 kilograms per mu in moderately saline-alkali land. This variety provides strong scientific and technological support for increasing my country's grain production capacity in saline-alkali land," said Liu Luxiang.
From grain crops, vegetables and fruits to flowers, pasture, etc., a large number of new varieties bred by spaceflight have entered the market, onto the dining table, and entered people's daily lives.
Space seeds sprouting in the Yunnan Jinke Flower Engineering Research Center (photographed on April 3, 2023). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Wenyao
In 2021, the "Kunzhi No. 1" morel was successfully bred, and quickly gained market favor due to its advantages in adapting to medium and low altitudes, low temperatures, and high humidity.
According to calculations by the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the yield per mu of "Kunzhi No. 1" can reach about 480 kilograms, while the yield per mu of common morel varieties ranges from 150 to 200 kilograms.
The difference in yield reflects the scientific and technological advantages of aerospace breeding. At present, the planting area of "Kunzhi No. 1" reaches tens of thousands of acres in Yunnan Province. The high yield not only increases the income of growers, but also reduces the unit price of morels, and consumers gradually realize "morel freedom."
Tang Zhihua, a villager in Xiaohe Village, Lumeiyi Town, Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, has been growing morels for nine years.
"Three years ago, I switched to 'Kunzhi No. 1' morels, which have thick flesh heads, high yields and strong disease resistance. The profit per acre is about 15,000 yuan, and the income has increased by 20% compared with before." Tang Zhihua He said that under his leadership, many people in the surrounding area also planted "Kunzhi No. 1" morels.
Today, with the help of aerospace breeding, the development of plateau characteristic agriculture has shown new vitality, opening up new channels for farmers to continue and steadily increase their income.
According to statistics from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the rice varieties Yunhangjing 3 and Yunjing 43 selected through space breeding can increase rice production by 2 million kilograms per year and create direct economic benefits of 180 million yuan.
The province has built a space-breeding germplasm resource bank that contains more than 1,400 morels, as well as a space-breeding germplasm resource bank for traditional Chinese medicinal materials focusing on the "Top Ten Cloud Medicines."
This is the greenhouse of the Yunnan Seed Industry Joint Laboratory taken on December 17, 2024 (drone photo). Some of the seeds returned from space are grown here. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xinbo
Data released by the China Manned Space Engineering Office shows that my country has conducted more than 3,000 aerospace breeding experiments, developed more than 240 staple food varieties, hundreds of new varieties of vegetables, fruits, forest and grass, and increased annual grain production by more than 2 billion kilograms, creating a Direct economic benefits exceed 100 billion yuan.
Wang Lixin said: “Creating high-quality germplasm materials with independent intellectual property rights through aerospace breeding, and selecting high-quality, high-yielding, and stress-resistant varieties needed by the industry will help promote the rapid development of the seed industry in related fields and safeguard the national seed industry. Safety is of great practical significance.”
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