ULANQAB city, located in one of China’s leading potato-producing regions, Inner Mongolia, has seen an impressive potato harvest this year and the seed used is particularly special, having come from China’s Shenzhou spacecraft, where they experienced genetic variation.
In 2022, 66,500 potato seeds were taken into space aboard the Shenzhou XVI crewed spaceship and stayed there for around five months. Researchers at Xisen Potato Industry Co headed up the project in a bid to breed potato varieties with salt-alkali tolerance and higher yields.
The breeding technique, known as space-induced mutation breeding or space mutagenesis, involved exposing seeds to strong cosmic rays, as well as other conditions such as vacuums, microgravity and low levels of geomagnetic interference, according to a report in China Daily.
On their return to earth in October that year, the seeds were delivered to the Shangdu Potato Technology Innovation Centre at Xisen Potato Industry Co, where scientists began the selection and cultivation process.
The cultivation process involved test stages in the laboratory, greenhouse and field.
China has been conducting space breeding experiments since 1987, sending the seeds of various plant species into space on retrievable satellites and Shenzhou spaceships. Space crops including rice, wheat and tomatoes, had already been successfully cultivated across the country.
The space experience has produced potato strains that can produce higher yields, mature earlier, and have enhanced disease resistance. according to Zhang Linhai, Director of the Technology Innovation Centre at Xisen Potato Industry Co.
He said the seed had undergone genetic variations while in space, leading to new strains whose characteristics include higher yields, early maturation, and enhanced disease resistance.
Ulanqab’s overall potato production capacity is expected to reach around 3.1 million tons this year, with smart storage facilities capable of keeping potatoes fresh for distribution until May. Early reports suggest that yields per mu (about 1/15 of a hectare) will exceed 6,000 kilograms.
Photo: Qimono
