China opens world’s first space breeding centre in Shaanxi to grow trees in fight against Gobi Desert expansion

China has opened the world’s first space breeding centre in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, with a mission to cultivate crop and tree species resistant to harsh environments.

The research facility and laboratory, which opened last week, will also set up a seed bank to collect high-quality seeds produced by the novel breeding method, it said.

“Space breeding can speed up the cultivation of high-quality seeds, reducing the time from eight years to four years,” said Guo Rui, director of Yangling Seeds Corporation, one of the sponsors of the research centre.

The other sponsor is the state-owned Space Biotechnology Group, a subsidiary of the China Academy of Space Technology, the nation’s equivalent of Nasa.

“Space is the best lab, with weak gravity, low temperature and extraordinarily high radiation,” said Guo. “It takes great efforts to create that kind of extreme environment on Earth.”