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For the first time, a wine is to be pressed from vines whose grape seeds have been in space. For this purpose, a research team from Texas A&M University is sending hundreds of seeds from three local grape varieties to the International Space Station (ISS) for six months. The goal is to investigate the effects of cosmic radiation on the plants derived from them. The first bottles of wine from the space seeds could be available in four to five years.
The researchers will plant the seeds in experimental vineyards upon their return to Earth and compare them with identical seeds. They will analyze differences in plant development, yield, grape characteristics, and genetic traits. They hope that cosmic radiation will induce beneficial genetic mutations. This could open up new possibilities for improving varieties that are more resistant to diseases, drought, and environmental stress than conventional vines. Plant material for agriculture has been sent into space by several countries for several years to improve its characteristics.
(al; Image: Gemini AI)
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Space research has arrived in viticulture