Growing seeds in space - CNN

Growing seeds in space | CNN

The joint laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sent sorghum seeds into space to explore how conditions affect crop mutations. Pictured, plant breeder and geneticist Anupama Hingane examines a sorghum plant grown at the FAO/IAEA Plant Breeding and Genetics Laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria.
K. Laffan/IAEA

These sorghum seeds (a type of cereal grain) spent around five months on the International Space Station (ISS), before being returned to Earth in April 2023. They will be screened to identify favorable traits arising as a result of mutations that could help create more climate-resilient crops on Earth.

K. Laffan/IAEA

For decades, scientists have been investigating the effects of space flight on seeds. In the 2000s, the Japanese Space Agency sent a number of seeds to the ISS as part of the Space Seed experiment. Pictured, Arabidopsis thaliana -- part of the cress family -- growing in the Kibo laboratory on the ISS, in 2009.
NASA

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst with "Earth Guardian" seeds aboard the ISS in 2018, as part of an experiment intended to teach students the importance of biodiversity. After returning to Earth, wildflower seeds were distributed to schools in Germany, where they were grown and their development compared to plants grown from regular seeds.
ESA/DLR

As well as carrying out research on seeds, astronauts are using them to grow food crops in space, with a view to feeding people on long-term space missions. Pictured here, NASA's Kayla Barron works on a space agriculture experiment aboard the ISS.

NASA

Astronauts on the ISS have succeeded in growing small crops of leafy greens in a nutrient-rich substrate inside sealed chambers, using artificial lights. Pictured, American astronaut Jessica Meir cuts leaves from plants grown in microgravity.

NASA

In 2021, astronauts broke the record for feeding the most people from a crop grown in space. Four pepper plants grew for 137 days aboard the ISS -- the longest plant experiment in the history of the space station -- feeding crew members with 26 chili peppers.

NASA

Astronauts aren't only growing vegetables on the ISS -- pictured, Scott Kelly harvests space-grown zinnia flowers as part of a study investigating growing edible crops on long-duration space missions.