How is the seed of heaven and earth refined?

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-19

Not long ago, the "Chengdu Aerospace Breeding Science and Technology Academy" was established in Guihe Hi-Tech Agricultural Park (hereinafter referred to as Guihe Hi-Tech), Chengxiang Town, Qingbaijiang District.

This is the only agricultural demonstration site involved in the field of aerospace breeding among the 20 science and technology institutes in Chengdu in 2023. At the same time, the small courtyard will also carry out the test demonstration, pilot test and display and promotion of new varieties of space breeding grain crops, which has attracted the attention of the industry.

Why aeronautical breeding?What are the characteristics of the seed of "heaven and earth"?How safe is its "genetic variation", and whether it can be eaten ?......With these problems, today, the reporter went to the scene and interviewed relevant experts.

Aerospace breeding

Accelerate the selection and breeding of high-quality germplasm "chips".

In the aerospace breeding experimental field of Guihe Hi-Tech, rapeseed stretches its fat purple leaves and grows jointed.

In the same experimental field, space breeding experiments are in full swing. Giant pumpkins weighing more than 100 kilograms, black, yellow, green and other colorful tomatoes, and pepper ...... with double the vitamin C contentSince last year, the expert team has carried out preliminary work on aerospace breeding in Guihe Hi-Tech, and has planted two batches of space rice, fruits and vegetables and other crops.

Many varieties vary greatly in appearance and have a better taste. The yield of crops bred through space breeding has increased significantly, and some fruits and vegetables are about 20% to 70%." Shi Shangze, chief expert of space breeding of Sichuan Aerospace Science and Technology Development Research Association and president of Chengdu Aerospace Breeding Science and Technology Academy, said.

A trip to space has made it possible for the seed to change. How does this work?

Aerospace breeding, also known as space breeding or space mutagenesis breeding, carries germplasm materials to space, uses the mutagenesis of special environments such as microgravity, ultra-vacuum, ionizing radiation and so on to mutate biological genes, and then returns to the ground for target breeding, and cultivates new varieties and new materials of crop breeding technology. Shi Shangze, chief expert of space breeding of Sichuan Aerospace Science and Technology Development Research Association and president of Chengdu Aerospace Breeding Science and Technology Academy, said: "This process is commonly said to be the seed 'going to heaven and earth'. ”

The reporter learned that with the progress of China's aerospace technology, from 1987 to the Shenzhou series of manned spacecraft carried by the return satellite, the list of space "cargo" has become more and more abundant, and more than 200 kinds of plant seeds have been sent to space.

In Chengdu, the seeds of local crops and plants such as rice, corn, vegetables and fruits, dendrobium, and hibiscus, the city flower of Chengdu, have all had the experience of space travel.

According to reports, after space breeding sends crop seeds to space, the chromosome gene fragments of the species are changed and recombined by ionizing radiation, which will produce new mutant genes. After being cultivated by scientists, new varieties are selected and bred, which have the characteristics of high mutation rate, short breeding cycle and strong stable performance, and in a relatively short period of time, germplasm resources with high yield, strong stress resistance and early maturity are selected and bred.

Even if a material (seed) with excellent comprehensive characteristics is selected, it takes more than 10 years to breed a new variety in a natural environment. Space breeding has a strong impact on the physiological and genetic traits of seeds, and shortens the time to select germplasm 'chips' with excellent traits. Shi Shangze said.

Rice "aerobic breeding".

Sichuan is at the forefront of the country

How does a seed complete space breeding?Take Sichuan rice as an example.

Rice with excellent comprehensive traits was selected as the basic material for mutagenesis. After space breeding, rice may change in maturity stage, plant height, rice quality, disease resistance, panicle type, grain shape, etc. After 4-5 generations of screening, the stable new aerospace mutagenesis materials can be introduced to the market only after passing the relevant strict variety verification tests. Wang Ping, deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology of the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said.

According to the data, at present, more than 1,200 new materials have been screened out through aerospace breeding, and more than 260 new varieties of rice, soybeans, wheat, and vegetables have been cultivated.

In terms of research on rice space mutagenesis breeding, Sichuan is at the forefront of the country. Wang Ping revealed. "After nearly 20 years of efforts, the Institute of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technology of the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences has created the world's first high-complexing, high-quality and safe aroma sterile line 'Huaxiang A' with reddish-brown marker traits suitable for mechanized seed production, as well as high-quality aroma sterile lines 'Huaxiang 7A' and 'Huaxiang 2A'. At present, the Huaxiang series of high-quality rice varieties in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River rice area is about 500,000 mu. ”

What is the safety of germplasm resources in aerospace breeding?"Space breeding is to change certain traits of crops in a specific environment in space, such as breaking crop gene fragments, this change is happening at any time in nature, and space breeding only increases the probability of such changes. Therefore, the food safety of the new varieties obtained through aerospace breeding is the same as that of ordinary varieties, and the 'vegetable basket' of the citizens is further enriched. Wang Ping said.

Chengdu **Jinguan News Reporter**Editor-in-Charge: He Qitie, Editor: Wen Zhu, Photo courtesy of the interviewee.

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