Radiation breeding is a method of biological breeding. Biological genetics are controlled by genes, and radiation breeding is a technology that uses ionizing radiation to induce genetic mutations in biological genes, selects excellent mutated individuals through artificial cultivation, and cultivates new seed varieties. Radiation breeding has the characteristics of simple methods, high mutation frequency, multiple mutation types, and stable mutation traits. The ionizing radiation that can be utilized includes X-rays, gamma rays, beta rays, neutrons, protons, etc.



Radiation breeding is a new breeding technology that can be used in the field of plant and animal cultivation. Plant breeding is the main application market, which can use plant seeds, live plants, asexual reproductive organs, etc. for cultivation. After ionizing radiation, its intracellular chromosomes break, achieving genetic recombination, causing gene mutations, and cultivating new seed varieties. Planting these high-quality seeds, or increasing the yield or quality of the products, or shortening the growth cycle, or enhancing cold and insect resistance, is of great significance in improving food security and security capabilities.

Global radiation breeding technology started in the 1920s and 1930s and developed rapidly in the 20th century. Several countries, including the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, and China, have conducted related research. In the late 1950s, the United States and Japan conducted large-scale field radiation breeding research. During this period, China's radiation breeding technology began to develop. Until today, China has cultivated new seeds for various crops such as rice, wheat, and soybeans, promoting continuous progress in agricultural technology.



According to the "2022-2026 Radiation Breeding Industry Deep Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report" released by the Xinsijie Industry Research Center, China is a major agricultural country with a huge annual demand for seeds. Since 2019, the annual demand for seeds has exceeded 20 million tons, and the market size has exceeded 130 billion yuan. Seed cultivation is located upstream of the seed industry chain, and seeds are the "chips" of agriculture. High quality seeds play an important role in agricultural production. There are many seed enterprises in China, but in the global market, the number of enterprises with high sales ranking is very few, and the overall competitiveness of the industry is insufficient. Using radiation breeding to cultivate high-quality seeds can enhance the core competitiveness of China's seed industry.

The research on radiation breeding technology in China is still deepening, and related research results are constantly emerging. In September 2021, the wheat mutation breeding team of the Crop Science Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences was jointly awarded the "Outstanding Achievement Award" by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and team member Guo Huijun was awarded the "Female Achievement Award in Plant Mutation Breeding".



In addition to using artificially synthesized rays for radiation breeding, radiation breeding can also be achieved using ultra-high energy cosmic rays from space. In 1987, China launched its first batch of seeds into space. So far, spacecraft such as Shenzhou-5, Shenzhou-6, and Shenzhou-12 have carried seeds into space. China's manned spaceflight technology is becoming increasingly mature, and future space breeding also has broad development prospects.