Some Jatropha curcas seeds from the seed-breeding satellite Shijian-8 have recently been sown, after careful screening, in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Scientists from the Space-breeding Center under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science note that space seed breeding is aimed at discovering what happens to the germination and sprouting of plants when they are exposed to zero gravity.

After being exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity, some seeds may mutate and produce higher yields and improved quality when planted back on earth, the scientists say.

XTBG will use the seeds of Jatropha curcas, a kind of energy plant for bio-diesel, to develop new strands featuring high yield, good quality and high efficiency.

Since 1987, China has carried out seed breeding tests on nine satellites.