NSW: Australian native seeds sent into orbit

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2008
NSW: Australian native seeds sent into orbit

(EDS: Story embargoed until 0001 AEST Thursday, Aug 7)



By Judy Skatssoon

SYDNEY, Aug 7 AAP - The Wollemi pine has spread around the world since it was discovered
in Australia almost 15 years ago and now it's gaining a foothold in space.

Seeds from the so-called jurassic pine, along with other native plant species, have
been sent into orbit in an experiment that will test how well they could be stored on
a space station to ensure against a disaster or environmental cataclysm on Earth.

Executive director of the Botanic Gardens Trust, Tim Entwisle, said 2,500 Golden Wattle,
NSW Waratah, Flannel Flower and Wollemi Pine seeds were currently aboard the NASA Discovery
Mission en route to the International Space Station.

The experiment, being conducted by NASA and the Botanic Gardens Trust, was designed
to study the effects of radiation and changed gravity on the seeds, Dr Entwisle said.

Dr Entwisle said the research held implications for the possible future storage of
seeds in space.

"With habitats under increasing threat, conservation seed banking is an important strategy
for both storing and understanding genetically important wild seeds," he said.

"This experiment could lead to some ground-breaking research by providing a preliminary
evaluation of Space Station seed banking - a possible option for the future".

A space seed bank would add to existing native seed banks at Mt Annan Botanic Gardens
in Sydney and the UK-based Millennium Seed bank in Kew.

"An insurance policy for the world could be to have some (seeds) up in space as well," he said.

The research would also provide information about planting food and vegetation on other
planets - either as a food source or to create an Earth-like "biosphere".

The US, Russia and China have sent grain and vegetable seeds up into space, but this
is a first for Australian natives.

Previous experiments have focused on the genetic changes space conditions trigger in plants.

"The results so far have been a bit mixed," Dr Entwisle said.

"One of the things that has been reported from China is that the radiation has led
to giant vegetables and changes in the genetic structure."

The China Daily reported last year that space-bred tomato and green pepper seeds resulted
in harvests 10-20 per cent larger than ordinary seeds, and that vegetables grown from
space-bred seeds have a higher vitamin content.

Dr Entwisle said Australian plants were extremely hardy because they were adapted to
extreme conditions like drought and fire.

This made them potentially less susceptible to the effects of being in space. If so,
they would be well suited for storage and cultivation in a space ship or on another planet.

"Our hypothesis is that the trip in space for six months won't have any major impact
on these very tough, resilient seeds," he said.

"They might be the sort of things we would take up into space not only for food but
also if we're looking at producing oxygen in space or setting up micro-climates."

The seeds have been in space since Discovery launched on May 31. They will return to
earth at the end of November.

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KEYWORD: SEEDS (EMBARGOED) (PIX AVAILABLE)

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