Re: Cosmic Rice

[Muckerheide <muckerheide@mediaone.net>]

Joel, group,

Amazing. Since radiation hormesis has been shown to stimulate plant
yields (somewhat inconsistently on a agricultural vs laboratory basis -
both seeds and seedlings) for the better part of 100 years, does anyone
have any idea what would make them send seeds to >20 km to be
irradiated? :-)

Haven't 'seen' you in a while. Hope all's well.

Best wishes, Jim
muckerheide@mediaone.net
===============================================

Joel Cehn wrote:

> Here's an interesting article from the wire services:
> 
> Cosmic rice helps fill China's paddies
> 
> BEIJING, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Ever on the lookout for innovative ways to =
> feed its 1.2 billion people, China has turned to conditioning rice and =
> wheat seeds in space to lift crop yields, state news media said late on =
> Saturday.=20
> 
> Seven times in the past 11 years China has launched seed-laden =
> satellites and balloons into the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere =
> to expose them to strong doses of solar radiation, Xinhua news agency =
> said.=20
> 
> The result was a minimum 10 percent boost over normal crop yields when =
> the irradiated seeds were planted back on Earth.=20
> 
> ``Seeds subjected to radiation at an altitude of between 20-400 km and =
> other forms of special treatment offer greatly improved and much higher =
> yields,'' it quoted Li Jinguo, a genetics expert at the Chinese Academy =
> of Sciences, as saying.=20
> 
> The conditioned seeds have been planted across 70,000 hectares (175,000 =
> acres) in Heilongjiang province in the northeast, Jiangxi and Shandong =
> provinces in the east, and Hunan province in central China, Xinhua said. =
> 
> 01:59 02-21-99=20
> 
> JCehn@worldnet.att.net
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