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Over 500 New Varieties of Crops Cultivated by Space Breeding
Starting from the end of 1980s, China has bred 513 new varieties of crops by way of space breeding technology, taking up one fourth of the world's total, and it has helped increase grain output by 3 to 4 billion kg every year.
As learned, China has succeeded in cultivating a number of new species and crops of high-yield, good-quality by using satellite-returned seeds since 1987, and so far, the rice, wheat, rape, green pepper, cucumber, tomato, and green onion as well as water melon and other plants are under trial planting. The accumulated cultivation and promotion areas reach a total of several million-mu, and China is at the head of the world advanced level. In the suburban areas of Beijing the experimental planting of such tomato produces 10 thousand kilos per mu, doubling the normal yield.
Space breeding refers to the high-tech in agriculture. That is to say, by means of vacuum environment (factors of cosmic rays, microgravity, highly vacuum and interchangeable magnetic field, etc) brought about by the returned satellite and the selective seeding and cultivation on earth, it can produce fruitful variations, thereby turning out seeds of new quality, new material and new varieties as well.
The new varieties bred by space technology betray no problem of gene safety, radioactivity, high radiation dosage and noxious and harmful substance. It is safe for people to take edibles made of space-bred crops. There won't be any hereditary effect either that is harmful to the people's health.
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