The vast outer space is becoming a rice-breeding base for Chinese scientists. Xie Hua'an, president of Fujian Academy of Agriculture science tells the journalist that, up to now China has already had 7 varieties of rice seeds bred in cosmic space passing the provincial approval; the Most excellent spaceflight No.1 and �� excellent spaceflight No.1 have been put into national trial production to an extent of over one million mu.

China is the only country in the world making use of the aerospace technology for seed breeding. By sending the seeds into the outer space it can help the seed genes achieve the beneficial variation that can hardly be achieved on earth. By aerospace technology, the multi-factor comprehensive effects such as cosmic radiation, micro-gravity and weak geomagnetic field etc. can be used for the purpose, for these conditions exist solely in the outer space, thereby shortening the ground breeding cycle and improving the breeding efficiency. China's aerospace breeding research dates back to the year 1987, and rice is the variety that mutated best through mutagenic action in the outer space. Jiangxi, Guangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian all have aerospace cultivated new rice varieties ordinary or hybrid that have passed provincial approval and been popularized quite extensively.

In 1999, the research team led by Xie Hua'an has cultivated the recovered spaceflight No. 1, and has formulated two new varieties, namely the most excellent spaceflight No.1 and II excellent spaceflight No.1. The II excellent spaceflight No.1 has achieved a super rice production of 815.4 kilo for per-mu yield in an area of 100 mu. Major indexes of the most excellent spaceflight No.1 and �� excellent spaceflight No.1 all reach level-2 or level-1 standards. Rice aerospace breeding has been listed on the agenda of the country's key high-tech plan. Xie Hua'an says that, rice space mutagenesis has unique advantages in antiviral breeding, changing shape, improving quality and cultivating early-ripe and high-yield varieties etc. At present, it is in dire need of exploring and strengthening the mutagenesis mechanism research, establishing a rice aerospace breeding technology system and integrating various technologies to improve breeding efficiency.

By People's Daily Online