Space Breeding: Sowing Cosmos Wonders Across Farmlands

BEIJING, June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on China's space breeding achievements:

150 kg, 330 kg, 545 kg... What do you think these figures stand for? A full-grown bull? A heavy-duty motorcycle? The answer is pumpkins.

In recent years, these giant pumpkins that defy common sense have popped up across many parts of China – remarkable harvests cultivated via space breeding.

Simply put, space breeding sends seeds into space. Exposed to the unique cosmic environment, the seeds undergo genetic mutation. They are then brought back to Earth for screening and cultivation to develop new varieties. This technology is never pursued for sheer novelty. Instead, it is designed to deliver tangible benefits to farmers, businesses and the general public.

Let's look at a few real-life stories.

Jiatang Village in Tunchang County, south China's Hainan Province, once struggled with underdevelopment. Farmlands lay abandoned, and many young people left to seek work elsewhere. In 2024, the village introduced Space Lotus No. 36, a premium space-bred lotus variety and rolled out large-scale cultivation. Compared with ordinary lotus strains, this space-adapted variety has a longer fruiting period and fuller seed pods, delivering much higher economic returns. Now, the annual lotus pod harvest season is here again as villagers work busily in the fields. "We used to grow conventional rice, which sold for just 1.8 yuan per kg," local villagers shared. "Since we started growing space lotus, we now get ornamental flowers and edible lotus seeds. After covering all the costs, we still net nearly 30,000 yuan per hectare of land!"

On the fertile black soil of Fuyuan City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, seedlings of space-bred cranberries have recently settled into open farmland. For a long time, large-scale cranberry farming in China relied on varieties imported from North America, which failed to adapt well to local soil and climate. From 2022 to 2024, a total of 400,000 cranberry seeds were sent into space. After over two years of cultivation, the new variety has taken root and flourished in Fuyuan: its disease resistance has risen by 12%, and the per-mu yield is expected to increase by 30%.

New saline-alkali land keeps expanding each year at the Yellow River estuary, an area notoriously tough for grain cultivation. Yet, in a demonstration field with moderately saline-alkali soil in Dongying City, east China's Shandong Province, Hangmai 802, a wheat variety developed through space mutation breeding, was sown in 2024. After more than 220 days of growth in harsh conditions including drought, the wheat eventually hit a yield of 8,319 kg per hectare – an impressive output even for prime farmland.

To date, China has conducted over 3,000 space breeding experiments and developed more than 240 major grain varieties, boosting annual grain output by 2.6 billion kg. Among all mutant varieties registered in the database of the International Atomic Energy Agency, nearly one-third are developed in China, a striking testament to the outstanding achievements of China's space breeding program.

It is worth noting that ordinary seeds do not turn into premium strains simply after a single space trip. Seeds returning from space require long-term cultivation, screening and evaluation, and any flaw in the process could undo all previous efforts. For instance, it took a full 15 years to develop Luyuan 502, a space-bred wheat variety, from initial research to official release.

Therefore, China's achievements in space breeding owes much to the country's advancing aerospace capabilities, as well as the dedication, perseverance and rigorous research of scientists and seed industry practitioners.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's space program. Aerospace exploration embodies humanity's romantic pursuit of the stars. Meanwhile, space-bred crops thriving in our farmlands, delicious food on our dining tables and fragrant flowers around our homes show how space technologies have stepped out of laboratories, integrated into people's daily lives, and become a tangible force that contributes to public well-being.

Space Breeding: Sowing Cosmos Wonders Across Farmlands
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2026-06/18/content_118555992.shtml

China Mosaic
http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/

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SOURCE China.org.cn