[Studies on hereditary variations of millet seed after high altitude balloon flight].
OBJECTIVE
To select high yield, high protein and fatty acid millet.


METHODS
Air-dried seeds of millet were carried by high altitude balloon (HAB) for 8 h. Botany characteristics of these seeds were analyzed and studied after recovery.


RESULTS
Germinating potential rose 21.1%, germinating percentage reduced 5.2% as compared with the control; plant height was 6.8 cm lower than that of the control in SP1; while flag-leaf area and spike weight were 25% and 15.9% higher than those of the control respectively. Large-spike strains were stable in SP3 pregeny. In SP3(-2), the contents of seed protein and fatty acid were more than those of control; in SP3(-5), the average spike length was 5.8 cm, and the content of Fe element in seed was 61.5 mg/kg more than these of control; in SP4 superspike strains, spike character, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate were significantly higher than the control during growing phase and growing anaphase, photosynthetic rate in flag-leaf was over 27.9% higher than those in the control.


CONCLUSIONS
New strains with high protein and fatty acid and high yield could be selected by HAB. The characteristics of these variations in the new strain is hereditable.
Li
J G
JG
Institute of Genetics, CAS, Beijing, China.
Jiang
G Y
GY
Wang
P S
PS
Zhang
J
J
Jiang
X C
XC
D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D003359:Cosmic Radiation; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D018525:Germination / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D009154:Mutation; D008897:Panicum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000528:radiation effects; D013026:Space Flight; D014893:Weightlessness
D005227:Fatty Acids; D010940:Plant Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll