Fruits and vegetables if grown in space could grow up to huge sizes. It is zero-gravity in space that does all this magic. Chinese researchers have been successful in demonstrating this size-effect and it could be a possible solution for the worldwide food crisis in future. The daily “Telegraph” reported this new development in an exclusive feature recently.

“Near zero-gravity conditions in space are most conducive for super-sized fruits and vegetables with higher vitamin content”, says the Telegraph. Chinese researchers conducted an experiment in the year 2006 on “Shijian 8 Satellite Mission”. A batch of almost 2,000 seeds were fired off in to the space and collected back after germination. Specimens selected out of this batch of seeds were subsequently put to further breeding. All this happened in the space, in zero-gravity conditions.

On completion of the mission and on its returning, these selected specimens were cultivated in giant hothouses in China along with host of other fruits and vegetables like pumpkins. Researchers were amazed to see the results. There were two-foot long cucumbers and 6.3 kg aubergines. Chilli-plants were not small but grew as small trees rather. The giant hothouse at the Guandong Academy of Agricultural sciences was having an adjustment problem with 9.5 kg tomatoes and unimaginable sized watermelons.

‘The China Academy of Sciences’ is coordinating this project with 22 provinces and its giant produces have also been sold to countries like Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. Many of the European firms have also expressed their interest in this concept.

“Conventional agricultural development has taken us far as we can go and demand for food from a growing population is endless”, says Lo Zhiagang, one of the lead researchers. Plants thus developed and grown would certainly produce harvests which would be around 10% to 20% higher than the normal yield. The technology thus developed would offer a new and rich source of food in near future.“Space seeds offer the opportunity to grow fruit and vegetables bigger and faster”, says Lo Zhiagang.

Scientists and researchers are still trying to explore the mechanism of such results obtained in the outer space and in zero-gravity conditions. It is particularly relevant as the zero-gravity conditions could easily be created in laboratories and seeds could also be germinated this way. Some of the scientists however believe that the factors like micro-gravity, cosmic radiation, and magnetic field might be playing important roles in such phenomenon.

We may therefore expect very soon such type of “space-germinated seeds” in markets around the world. As a gardener you may be growing this type of super sized fruits and vegetables in your yards in near future. Wouldn’t this be great to have solved your fruits and vegetable requirement for longer periods! You may not have to visit the supermarkets every week just to procure fruits and vegetables.

The day is certainly not too distant now.