Humanity’s desire for high-
yielding crops is as old as civiliza-
tion itself.
In China, this is best illus-
trated by the fact that 41 of the
country’s 56 ethnic groups have
their own myths about the crea-
tion of fertile seeds, according to
the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences’ Institute of Ethnic
Literature.
The Dong ethnic group be-
lieves that seeds were bestowed
by deities showing compassion
to mortals; according to the
folklore of the Wa ethnic group,
they were spat out by a world-
devouring snake slain by the
Heaven God.
Now, modern technologies
have produced quality seeds
from an equally fantastic source:
outer space.
These seeds have produced
a range of crops, from vines that
can sprawl across 150 square
meters (1,610 sq. ft.) of land and
bear 10,000 tomatoes, to giant
black-eyed pea sprouts measur-
ing nearly a meter long, the China
Aerospace Science and Technol-
ogy Corp said.
This progress has been
achieved through space-induced
mutation breeding, also known
as space mutagenesis.
In China, hundreds of varieties
of space crops have been planted
nationwide. They are a key pillarsupporting food security, as well
as an innovative approach to
improving farmers’ yields and
combating rural poverty.
The International Atomic
Energy Agency defi nes space-
induced mutation breeding as
a technique in which seeds are
taken into space and exposed to
strong cosmic rays — high-ener-
gy particles traveling close to the
speed of light — as well as other
conditions such as vacuums,
microgravity and low levels of
geomagnetic interference.
This method does not involve
transferring genes from one or-
ganism to another, as is the case
with genetically modifi ed food.
Instead, it generates random
but potentially useful traits by
using a plant’s genetic material,
mimicking the natural process
of spontaneous mutation, albeit
at a signifi cantly acceleratedrate, the agency said.
Since the 1920s, seeds have
been exposed to radiation or
chemicals by scientists to induce
greater yield, stability and adapt-
ability to climate change. More
than 2,500 varieties of plants
bred through mutagenesis have
been offi cially released, accord-
ing to the Food and Agriculture
Organization, a UN agency.
Space is a new setting to con-
duct this time-tested breeding
method, and the IAEA, FAO and
the World Health Organization
consider space crops safe to
consume, as long as they pass
rigorous testing and approval
processes.
In the 1960s the United States
and the Soviet Union carried
out space mutation breeding for
scientifi c research and to make
living in space more sustainable
for astronauts.What on earth do you give
someone for their 250th birth-
day?
Ludwig van Beethoven’s gift
to the world was his magnifi cent
music, so what better way to
return the compliment when that
special day arrives in December
than to play the full repertoire of
his symphonies and concertos?
Trouble is that there are not
enough hours in a day, let alone
days in a week, to achieve that
task, so the man who has given
himself the mission of complet-
ing it, the conductor Li Biao,
decided to get in early with a
string of concerts.
It began on Sept. 2 and
stretched over a number of per-
formances until Sept. 20, during
which he conducted the BeijingSymphony Orchestra at the
Forbidden City Concert Hall, as it
played such works as Symphony
No. 7 in A major Op. 92; Sym-
phony No. 5 in C minor Op. 67,
also known as The Destiny and
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E fl at Op.
73 , also known as Emperor.
That in a sense was just the
fi rst movement, and the series
reached its grand fi nale at the
same venue when the orchestra
played a 12-hour performance
called the Beethoven Marathon.For the anniversary fi nale on
Dec. 12, repertoires such as Turk-
ish March Op. 76, Bagatelle No.
25 in A minor, known as To Elise
and Piano No. 5 in F major, Op.
24 , also known as Spring Sonata
were presented.
The events were crowned with
the timeless fourth movement of
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op.
125 , Ode to Joy.
“When Li told me about his
ideas I was very excited,” said
Xu Jian, general manager of theFarmers in Tianjiazhai village, Xining, Qinghai province, harvest beetroot cultivated in space in Qinghai Qianziyuan Space Plant Exhibition Park.
Crops with roots in space
produce heavenly results
Technology
plays vital role
in combating
rural poverty
BY ZHANG ZHIHAO
China Watch materials are distributed by China Daily Distribution Corp., on behalf of China Daily, Beijing, China.ADVERTISEMENT
Ode to joy and the genius behind it
BY CHEN NAN