Food is the first necessity of the people. Learn about rice aerospace breeding

As the saying goes, "food is the first necessity of the people." Rice, as an important food crop, occupies an important position on our dining table. What is the special "fate" between rice and space breeding? What process does rice space breeding go through? Today, let's take a look together!

Rice seeds "Flying to the sky"

China Airlines No. 48, a national standard high-quality first-class rice variety

Rice is an important food crop in my country, and the breeding of rice varieties is of great significance to ensuring national food security. Chinese scientists have long been exploring more efficient methods to breed new rice varieties. The rapid development of China's aerospace industry has provided new ideas and methods for the breeding of new rice varieties. The first "space trip" of rice in my country was in 1987. Scientists used recoverable satellites to conduct early rice space breeding experiments and found that the space environment can accelerate the changes in rice's genetic material, which is of great value in improving the efficiency of variety breeding. Since then, with the help of manned space projects, rice space transportation has entered a rapid development stage. So far, rice has been carried into space about 30 times, providing important support for the breeding of rice varieties in my country.

What are the steps of rice space breeding?

Rice space breeding mainly includes four links: first, the selection and expansion of basic varieties or varieties to be carried. Basic varieties should have a good genetic basis. On this basis, space breeding can be used to more effectively improve and enhance traits; second, the space transportation of biological materials such as seeds or tissues, using returning spacecraft to bring seeds into space for mutagenesis; third, the identification and screening of space-borne materials after returning to the ground, which is a very important link in space breeding and directly determines whether new varieties can be bred. For rice, it usually takes four genetic generations and about 50,000 to 60,000 plants to screen the phenotype or genotype to identify new genes or new materials for variety breeding; fourth, the identification and promotion of new varieties bred by space breeding. New varieties bred using space breeding technology must pass multiple rounds of comparative tests. Only new varieties with better yield, quality and resistance than the control can pass variety approval, and then be industrialized and promoted through industry-university-research cooperation.

Researchers sowed the seeds that were brought back

Researchers test the seedlings

Rice breeding has a bright future

With the development of social economy, the breeding of new varieties of high-yield, high-quality and multi-resistant crops is becoming more and more important. How to cultivate crop varieties with excellent comprehensive traits? Excellent genes and efficient breeding technology are the key. Excellent genes are the genetic basis for variety breeding, and it is of great significance to vigorously explore and innovate genes. Space breeding uses the extreme environment of space to accelerate the genetic evolution of crops, create gene sources for breeding, and broaden the genetic basis for the breeding of new plant varieties; at the same time, combining space breeding with modern biotechnology can improve the efficiency of traditional breeding technology. Therefore, the significance of space breeding lies in the innovation of excellent genes to serve variety breeding, while enriching crop genetic breeding technology.

According to incomplete statistics, Chinese scientists have used space breeding technology to bred more than 125 new rice varieties. These varieties have outstanding performance in yield, quality and resistance, and have been widely recognized, such as super rice varieties such as Peizataifeng, Yliangyou 1173, Teyouhang 1, IIyouhang 1, special high-quality varieties such as Huahang 48, Ruanhuayou 1179, Xintaiyouhang 0799, and fragrant rice varieties such as Huaxiang 7, Yexiangyouhang 148, and Huahangxiang Yinzhen.

A new rice variety bred in space: Huahangxiang Yinzhen

At present, rice aerospace breeding has formed an industrial chain integrating the primary, secondary and tertiary industries. Taking the rice aerospace variety "Huahang Xiangyinzhen" cultivated by the National Plant Aerospace Breeding Engineering Technology Research Center of South China Agricultural University as an example, through the cooperation of industry, academia and research, an industrial chain of "variety → product → brand" has been formed. Through the transformation of achievements, the breeding and promotion of improved varieties of this variety have been realized; through order-based production, large farmers and new farmers are organized to carry out standardized planting, and the rice of this variety is purchased at designated locations and processed into high-quality rice products; with the help of the new retail model, the creation of online and offline aerospace rice brands has been carried out. Through the cooperation of industry, academia and research, the achievements of aerospace breeding have effectively supported rural revitalization, promoted the high-quality development of agriculture in the demonstration area, and created considerable social and economic benefits.

Who knows that every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work? Sow the seeds of hope and harvest the fragrance of rice. The "flying story" of rice seeds has witnessed the power of science and technology. Looking forward to more exciting things in the future!