# Presentation: 421487

## Better Crops from Space

- <date/time>

***Better Crops from Space***

***New crop varieties ******can be  made available ****** ******faster ******from plants altered in the space environment. This reduced  varietal development time  may translate into  ******billions of dollars  ******for the farming community!***

**Through the  benefits of genetic engineering and newly developed controlled environment plant growing facilities, improved varieties can be commercialized in less time.**

**Light Emitting Diode System**

**Wheat growing under LED**

** ****•**** ****Space environment enhances **
**   ****plant genetic engineering. **
**   ****Superior quality genes can **
**   ****more easily be injected into **
**   ****plant cells.**
**• ****Space cultures are hybridized **
**   ****with Earth plants. Resulting **
**   ****plants can then be developed **
**   ****into new varieties. These **
**   ****may possess qualities such **
**   ****as pest resistance.**

## Soybean Crops Enhanced in Space

**With over 380,000  soybean farms generating revenues of 10 billion dollars per year, the U.S. is the world’s largest soybean producer.  About one half of the soybeans grown in the US are  exported, thus making soybeans an important contributor to the Nation’s balance of trade.**

**   ****Genetic engineering of plants                       **
**        ****in space produces better **
**  ****and faster results than on **
**        ****the  Earth,  leading to**
** ****superior varieties which**
** ****may reach  fields sooner.**
**         ****These new varieties **
**    ****from  space seek better**
**nutritional quality, disease resistance and yield per acre. **

**Space enhanced plant genetic   **
**     ****engineering could lead to   **
**         ****the next wave of plant**
**            ****commercial  products.    **
**             ****These  products  could**
**              ****provide both a more**
**              ****immediate and   **
**             ****significant return to  **
**           ****the America farmer and  **
**        ****the American consumer.**

**Besides its use as cooking oil, soy oil is being tested for use as biodiesel (80% diesel, 20% soy oil).   Biodiesel produces less noxious fumes and is not as flammable, making it more environmentally friendly.   These qualities make it an excellent candidate for use in underground mining operations!**

## Enhanced Pesticides from Space

*** ******Bacillus thuringiensis*****  (Bt),**** a natural bacteria found all over the Earth, has a fairly novel way of getting rid of unwanted insects. ****Bt *****forms a protein  substance *****(****shown  on the right) that is**** *****not harmful  *****to humans, birds, fish or ****other vertebrates. But  when eaten by insect larvae, ****the *****protein causes a fatal loss of  appetite*****. ****For over ****25 years, agricultural chemical companies have  ****relied heavily upon safe, Bt-based pesticides. New*****space *****based research, however, ****promises***** *****to give the ****insecticide  *****a new****** dimension *****in ****effectiveness and ****applicability.**

**             ****Researchers from the**
**           ****Consortium for Materials**
**        ****Development in Space along **
**      ****with Industrial affiliates such **
**   ****as Abott Labs and Penn State**
**University are flying Bt on a**
**                                                                                                **

**          ****Space Shuttle mission in fall 1996.**
**        ****Researchers expect that the**
**     ****Shuttle’s ****microgravity ****environment**
**   ****will reveal new information about the**
** ****Bt protein ****that will make it more  effective against a wider**
**variety of pests.**

***Enhanced Pesticides from Space***

## Spuds in Space

- <date/time>

**             ****Potatoes represent an**
**                  ****industry of several billion **
**                      ****dollars to the American **
**                      ****farming community. *****In ***
***                          ******addition to their ***
***                          ******well-known, wide-***
***                        ******spread use in fast ***
***                       ******foods and snack items,***
***                      ******potatoes are the  lead-***
***                    ******ing produce items in ***
***                ******cash sales.***

**Current  commercial  potato  varieties are  important  staples  in  many  regions  and  cultures.  Next  generation   varieties  seek  improvements  in:**
*** Disease   resistance**
*** Pest   resistance**
*** Starch   Content**
*** Storage   quality**

**The space environment enhances genetic engineering procedures. This may  help in the development of new commercial**
**varieties of**
**potatoes.  Be-**
**cause genetic engineering done in spacemay produce results faster than simi-**
**lar work done on Earth, new varieties may reach the fields sooner, perhaps **
**at less cost.  This could generate a more immediate and significant return for both farmers and consumers.**

**Potato tubers grown during the 16 day AstrocultureTM **
**USML-2 experiment****.**

*Spuds in Space*