Seeds from Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province return to Earth after a five-month journey in space on China's Shenzhou XVI manned spaceship. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001] 

Seeds from Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province have recently returned to Earth after a five-month journey in space on China's Shenzhou XVI manned spaceship. The mission, which was launched on May 30, involved three astronauts and aimed at carrying out experiments on the country's space station combination.

A total of 14,900 seeds, including oranges, tangerines, waxberries, and broccoli, were part of the cargo sent to space for an experiment organized by the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). On Oct 31, the seeds successfully returned to Earth.

To further study the seeds and conduct research, the Taizhou Municipal Bureau of Agricultural and Rural Affairs has partnered with the Zhejiang Provincial Citrus Research Institute and the Taizhou Municipal Agricultural Science Institute.

The Zhejiang Provincial Citrus Research Institute plans to apply technical treatments to the seeds and carry out follow-up research to improve the variety and quality of citrus and waxberry fruits from Taizhou through breeding programs that span several years. Meanwhile, the Taizhou Municipal Agricultural Science Institute will plant the returned broccoli seeds in greenhouse sheds to observe and record their germination rate and seedling growth. The institute aims to develop high-quality and high-yield broccoli varieties that can adapt to various environments over the course of several years.

Taizhou has been conducting space breeding experiments since the 1990s, when rice seeds were sent to space. These experiments have resulted in beneficial variations with high yield and disease resistance.