Chinese Scientists Develop Novel Rosa Roxburghii Varieties via Space Breeding

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 08, 2024 - Chinese researchers have successfully cultivated new varieties of rosa roxburghii, derived from 528 plantlets grown from 28.2 grams of seeds that spent 186 days aboard the Shenzhou XV manned spaceship.

Rosa roxburghii, also known as Cili or "thorn pear" in Chinese, is a yellowish, spiny fruit noted for its high vitamin C content and numerous nutritional benefits.

For the first time, researchers have obtained four distinct plantlets, two of which are thorn-free and exhibit markedly different leaf shapes compared to typical thorn pears, according to local authorities in Qiannan Buyi and Miao autonomous prefecture, located in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

"The acquisition of new germplasm is of great value to the selection and breeding of thorn-free pear varieties," explained researcher Tian Hualin. "To shorten the breeding process, researchers are adopting certain methods to reproduce the plantlets while carrying out tissue culture experiments on thorn-free varieties."

This new batch of germplasm will be included in the local thorn pear germplasm bank. Additionally, a space breeding base for thorn pears will be established to advance the innovation of its germplasm resources.

Based on a Xinhua News Agency article