Ontario Grain Farmer - September 2021

The barley seed work builds on a similar ongoing project developed at the University of Guelph that has continued for 20 years, called Tomatosphere. In that project, tomato seeds are sent to space almost every year for several months at a time and then distributed to schools across Canada and the U.S. so schoolchildren can learn how space travel affects the germination of the seeds and the tomato plants that grow from them. “Tomatosphere has been a highly successful space science and outreach project that continues to grow in collaboration with Let’s Talk Science in Canada and First the Seed Foundation in the U.S.,” said Dixon. Most recently, First the Seed Foundation was able to place a small payload of Heinz tomato seeds outside the ISS onto the MSC platform for six months. “We were stunned to learn that those seeds were actually able to germinate when they came back to Earth. They remained viable — which is remarkable, quite frankly, given the conditions on the platform,” Dixon said. “They underwent an extreme temperature gradient that most germplasms wouldn’t be expected to survive.” Whether the barley will fare as well remains to be seen. Tomato seeds are much smaller than barley and contain less water, Dixon noted. “It would be astonishing if the barley seeds placed on the MISSE Space Carrier MSC platform germinate, but then the tomato seeds surprised many of us, too. We look forward to seeing how they do. In any case, we have the insurance of the larger volume of barley seed inside the ISS that will be the source of ongoing phases of the research.” This article originally appeared on the University of Guelph news website. https://news.uoguelph.ca/2021/06/barley- sent-to-international-space-station-as-part- of-u-of-g-research/ l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 35 SEPTEMBER 2021 A larger volume of seeds will remain on board the ISS and may eventually be the source of seed for multiplying the quantity of seed with space heritage. BARLEY SEEDS SUPPLIED BY CHIVAS BROTHERS PREPARED FOR SPACE FLIGHT. PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA. “We have grown Maizex for around 10 years given solid varieties with consistent yields. We are more than happy to work with a Canadian company that invests in product and agronomy needs field by field.” Jeff Drudge | Drudge Farms Inc. | Wroxeter, ON MZ 2982DBR, MZ 3117DBR, E63G62 R, MZ 3397SMX www.maizex.com For Your Field, Your Farm. PERFORMANCE Tr u e Maizex_Ont Grain Farmer_Drudge 7.125 x 3.25 7_21.indd 1 7/19/21 4:15 PM