What kind of seed can get a precious ticket for space travel? On May 19, the China Manned Space Engineering Office released a list of space breeding experimental items on Shenzhou XII and Shenzhou XIII manned spaceships. The list includes Plantago fengdouensis, a rare plant unique in the Three Gorges (CTG) area, which has been selected by the Yangtze River Rare Plants Research Institute of the China Three Gorges Corporation. Now, the Institute is preparing for its coming home.

　　“The seeds of Plantago fengdouensis stood out among the others through the application and review!” said Huang Guiyun, the associate director of the Institute, who still feels excited. Although the seeds are only 7 grams, they have actually undergone a full process of selection, space travel and return to the Earth. “Every gram matters as Shenzhou XIII payload resources are very valuable. The inclusion of the experimental items in the space travel is a great affirmation and encouragement to us scientific researchers.”

　　The task for Huang and her team is to breed a new variety adaptable to the CTG Reservoir area using the seeds which have traveled in space. The biggest advantage of space breeding lies in the high variation and short breeding cycle of space mutation materials so that it can generate high-quality germplasm resources within a shorter time compared to traditional breeding. This is the first space travel of the rare plant seeds unique in the CTG area, and the chosen seeds may provide ground breaking solutions for the protection of rare plants and the ecological restoration of the reservoir area.

　　Plantago fengdouensis is a local amphibious plant in the water-level-fluctuation zone of the reservoir area with a very limited distribution, which is called the “giant panda in plant”. “We have been artificially introducing and breeding the plant for many years,” says Huang. The relevant data show that the plant has high genetic stability and good comprehensive properties, which are the key factors why it was chosen. Next, they are going to pay earnest efforts to breed the plant and to promote the experiment on its returning to the wild. The ultimate goal of its protection is to let it go back to nature and grow by itself.

　　It is said that the space breeding has provided rich germplasm resources for the development of Chinese agriculture and related industries. Since its start in 1987, over 260 varieties have now been bred with an annual promoted cultivation area of more than 40 million acres and have generated a direct economic benefit of over 200 billion yuan. The return capsules of Shenzhou XII and Shenzhou XIII manned spaceships brought back home space breeding materials including over thousands of crop seeds and microbial species belonging to 88 companies or institutes. (Reporter: Wan Longyun)