FAO-IAEA Project Sends Crop Seeds to Space to Develop Climate-Resilient Varieties

Apr 18, 2023

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have collaborated on a project that involves sending crop seeds to space to

develop climate-resilient varieties. The project aims to address the challenges posed by climate change to global food security.

The seeds, which include varieties of wheat, rice, and maize, were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Joint Experimental Project (JEP) in 2021. The seeds were exposed to cosmic radiation and microgravity, which may induce mutations that could lead to the development of new, climate-resilient traits.

Upon their return to Earth, the seeds will be planted and evaluated to determine if any of the mutations that occurred during their time in space resulted in useful changes. If successful, these seeds could lead to the development of new crop varieties that are better adapted to the challenges of a changing climate.

The FAO-IAEA project is an innovative approach to developing climate-resilient crop varieties. By harnessing the unique conditions of space to induce mutations, the project aims to accelerate the development of new crop varieties that can help feed a warming world.

The FAO-IAEA project highlights the importance of innovative approaches to addressing the challenges posed by climate change to global food security. By exploring new ways to develop crop varieties, we can ensure that we have the tools we need to feed a growing population in a changing climate.

Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.