Seeds sent into orbit cultivated in S China

Photo shows space seeds cultivated at a breeding base in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/CCTV News)

(ECNS) -- Crop seeds carried on board the Shiyan-19 experiment satellite have been cultivated at a breeding base in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province recently.

Weighing 1,600 grams, 12 varieties of crop seeds in 2 categories were sent into space, including six varieties of rice totaling 100 grams each, and six varieties of corn measuring 166 grams each. These seeds were exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity to mutate their genes and cultivated upon returning to Earth.

Researchers will further conduct ground-based breeding experiments to obtain excellent mutations and cultivate superior new forage varieties with higher yield, better quality, and stronger resistance.