China's Tiangong crew harvests second generation of space-grown rice

Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station completed an "autumn harvest" of their rice experiment, collecting and sowing seeds from a second generation grown entirely in orbit. The experiment, begun in 2026, spans two seed-to-seed cycles and studies genetic and epigenetic stability of rice in microgravity.

• Second-generation rice grown from seeds produced in microgravity
• Experiment started in 2026 and covers two seed-to-seed cycles
• Researchers compare sexual reproduction with ratooning regrowth
• Rice was first grown on the station in 2022, yielding three more generations on Earth