Researchers in China have experimented with breeding seeds for Traditional Chinese Medicinal herbs (TCM) in space.
The researchers report that the growth cycle of the seeds for the two, high demand (and scarce), plant species they selected, could be shortened after being bred in space.
The company behind this experiment, the Chengde Jingfukang Pharmaceutical Group Co, a medical company is now getting ready to breed the Amur Cork-tree Bark and Atractylodes chinensis seeds at its base.
The company executives believe that this process will lead to a shorter growth cycle for the seeds – now they are back on earth – as they will have experienced ‘gene variation’ in space – and will have strengthen their active ingredients.