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ISLAMABAD, Jan 21 (APP):Pakistani scientists are testing crop seeds exposed to cosmic radiation and zero gravity in space to assess genetic variation and expand crop diversity.
Dr Zahid Mahmood, Program Leader of the Wheat Program at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), told Wealth Pakistan that the initiative combines conventional plant breeding with space-based experimentation and focuses on the use of induced mutations to introduce new variation into crop lines for future improvement.
Dr Zahid said the seeds were sent into space under a mission coordinated by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission in collaboration with China. He said the consignment included wheat, rice and maize seeds that were exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity conditions during the mission. After their return to Earth, the material was initially handled in Karachi and then provided to researchers for further evaluation, he said.
Dr Zahid said mutation breeding traditionally relies on radiation or chemical treatments applied under controlled conditions to induce sudden changes in DNA, and that space exposure is being examined as an additional source of mutation because cosmic radiation and zero gravity are known to cause genetic changes.
He said that because open-field trials generally allow only one generation of a crop to be evaluated each year, the returned seeds were first advanced under controlled conditions at the Speed Breeding Facility at the National Agricultural Research Centre to enable faster generation turnover.
Dr Zahid said early testing of wheat material has shown some variation and that the material has now been planted in the field for further evaluation, adding that a complete crop cycle of around one year is required before final results can be recorded.
He said the experiment is currently at a trial stage and that outcomes depend on the type of crop, treatment, and duration of exposure to space conditions.
Dr Zahid cautioned that not all mutations are beneficial and that extensive selection is required before any material can be taken forward.
According to him, traits such as plant height, disease resistance, grain size, colour, and yield are being assessed as part of the selection process.
Dr Zahid said modern evaluation tools are also being used alongside mutation and speed breeding, including drones equipped with multispectral sensors to rapidly assess plant traits across large breeding plots through high-throughput phenotyping.
He said these tools allow large volumes of data to be generated quickly, helping researchers identify promising material at an early stage and improve the efficiency of crop research.
Dr Zahid said the findings from the trials will guide future space missions, which will be planned in closer coordination to ensure suitable crop material is selected for exposure and evaluation.