“This is science that can have a real impact on people’s lives in the not-too-distant future, by helping us grow better crops and feed more people,” Rafael Mariano Grossihead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speak.
With the world population estimated to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, there is one clear need for innovative solutions through science and technology to produce more food, as well as Plants are more resilient and more sustainable farming methods, the agencies said.
Reach for the stars
While similar experiments have been carried out since 1946, this is first time that the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in process genomic and biological analysis on seeds sent into space for about 60 years of experience in plant mutants that can benefit people and the planet.
Experiment towards the development of new crops that can adapt to climate change and help enhance global food security.
Two types of seeds are currently in space: arabidopsis, a type of watercress that has been studied extensively by botanists and plant geneticists, and sorghum, which belongs to the millet family and is a hardy grain. drought and heat tolerant crops are grown in many developing countries for food.
The seeds were deposited in an unmanned cargo shuttle from NASA on November 7, 2022. Once in space, they exposure to a complex mixture of cosmic radiationmicrogravity and extreme temperatureinside and outside the International Space Station (ISS).
When back in early April, scientists at Joint Center FAO/IAEA of Nuclear Engineering in Food and Agriculture plans to grow the seeds and screen them for traits useful for better understanding of space-induced mutations and identify new varieties.
Transforming the agricultural system
Once developed, a series of analysis will help understand whether cosmic radiation and extreme space conditions can make plants more resilient when faced with growing conditions are increasingly difficult on Earthagencies said.
“I am very proud of our partnership with the IAEA, which has borne fruit on Earth for many years and now with the seeds that have traveled in space,” said FAO Director General. Qu Dongyu speak.
“I am amazed at nature’s resilience and excited at The endless benefits that space exploration can bring to transform our agricultural system more effective, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable globally.”
IAEA and FAO send seeds to space
