The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have today (Monday, October 7) launched seeds into space.
The joint project is aiming to develop new crops which can adapt to climate change challenges on Earth.
The Arabidopsis and Sorghum seeds, which are travelling to the International Space Station, were sourced from IAEA and FAO agriculture and biotechnology laboratories.
Over a period of three months the seeds will be exposed to conditions inside and outside of the space station including microgravity, a complex mixture of cosmic radiation and extreme low temperatures.
When the seeds return to Earth scientists will grow and examine them for useful space mutations and identify new varieties able to adapt to changes brought about by climate change.
This experiment will be the first time the IAEA and FAO conduct genomic and biological analyses of seeds exposed to space mutagenesis.
The ongoing experiment is based on almost 60 years of experience of the joint FAO/IAEA centre in inducing mutations in plants with the use of radiation.
So far, more than 3,400 mutant varieties of more than 210 plant species that were developed using induced genetic variation and mutation breeding have been released for commercial use in 70 countries.
The collaboration comes as world leaders gather in Egypt for the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference COP 27 to discuss environmental challenges including the impact of climate crisis on food systems.
Commenting on today’s space launch, FAO director general, QU Dongyu, said:
“The world’s millions of smallholder farmers urgently require resilient, high-quality seeds adapted to increasingly challenging growing conditions.
“Innovative science like space breeding of improved crop varieties can help pave the road to a brighter future of better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.”
IAEA director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, added:
“Nuclear science once again is showing us its extraordinary capability to tackle climate change.
“I am hopeful this experiment will bring about breakthroughs: results that we share freely with scientists and new crops that help farmers adapt to climate change and boost food supplies.”
Last week, the IAEA and FAO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase their collaborations in food and agriculture using nuclear science and technology.