The researchers sprouted rice from 40 g of seeds that went into space with a lunar probe in November 2020
TASS, July 12. Chinese breeders have collected the first harvest of rice from seeds that were in space during the mission of the lunar exploration apparatus "Chang'e-5". This was reported by Bloomberg on Monday.
The researchers sprouted rice from 40 g of seeds that went into space with a lunar probe in November 2020. Scientists from China suggest that after exposure to cosmic radiation and weightlessness, some seeds may mutate and give higher yields when planted on Earth.
On November 24, 2020, China launched the Changzheng-5 launch vehicle from the Wenchang Cosmodrome in Hainan. She sent the Chang'e-5 spacecraft to the moon, which returned to Earth 23 days after the launch, collecting about 2 kg of lunar rock. One of the modules contained 40 grams of rice seeds intended for an experiment with mutational selection.
On December 17, the Chang'e-5 return capsule successfully landed on the territory of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the north of China. A week later, the seeds were transferred to the South China Agricultural University.
