A researcher processes space scientific experimental samples at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Monday.
With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples.
According to the CAS website, previously, scientists worldwide have only managed to obtain the seeds of a few crops like Arabidopsis, rape, wheat, and peas in space, except for the major food crop -- rice.
The Chinese research team has completed the full life-cycle growth experiment of rice for the first time in the world. It has also systematically studied the effects of microgravity on flowering in space using the model plant Arabidopsis, the CAS said.
The experiments, undertaken by the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences under the CAS, were conducted from July 29 to Nov. 25.
During this period, the astronauts collected the rice samples at the germination stage on Sept. 21, the Arabidopsis samples at the flowering stage on Oct. 12, and both samples at their seed maturity stage on Nov. 25. The samples were then stored in the cryogenic storage device.
According to the CAS, the samples will be transferred to the laboratory in Shanghai for further scientific testing and analysis.
Through analyzing images acquired from space, scientists have discovered the effects of space microgravity on a variety of agronomic traits of rice, including plant height, growth rate, water regulation, response to light, etc. ■
Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), processes rice samples from China's Tiangong space station at a biology lab of the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the CAS in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
A researcher (L) of the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) hands over space scientific experimental samples to a researcher of CAS's Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
This combo photo shows representative images of rice samples at different stages in life ecology experiment cabinet of China's Wentian lab module, with figures at the upper right corner of each image marking the number of days since the experiment started. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), processes Arabidopsis samples from China's Tiangong space station at a biology lab of the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the CAS in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)
A researcher processes space scientific experimental samples at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds, said the CAS on Monday. With the safe landing of the Shenzhou-14 spaceship's return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site Sunday night, the seeds of rice and Arabidopsis, which have undergone a 120-day life cycle, were delivered to China's manned space program's space application system along with other samples. (Xinhua)