Debrecen radishes and wheat are already growing on the International Space Station

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 07. 04. 10:25

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Radish and wheat treated with the method of researchers from the University of Debrecen (DE) have started to grow on the International Space Station, the plants are already 2-3 centimeters tall. Pepper germination is naturally slower, the experiment settings were finalized without any problems on Thursday – the university’s press center told MTI on Friday.

In their statement, they wrote that the University of Debrecen is participating in two projects in the scientific portfolio of Axiom Mission 4: in the HUNOR Hungarian Astronaut Program with research on cerebral hemodynamics, and with the investigation of plant germination, microgreen cultivation and leaf development.

Researchers from the Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management of the University of Budapest discussed the status and final settings of the experiments conducted on the International Space Station with the HUNOR team supporting the mission of Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu on Tuesday in the Payload Support Center, in online, live connection with the International Space Station (ISS), they reported.

Professor Emeritus Miklós Fári, the professional coordinator of the research, added: the biggest question in scientific studies is how to create life in the shortest possible time, with the most complex utilization, while using minimal water.

Tibor Kapu took a thousand radish, wheat and pepper seeds with him to the International Space Station, half of which underwent a selenium-rich, “life-supporting” treatment. The plants are grown using only 500 milliliters – 0.5 ml/piece – of water. This quantity is sufficient for radish sprouts that can be consumed for 7-8 days, as well as the raw material for wheat soup made from 2-3-week-old wheat sprouts

– explained Miklós Fári.