Debrecen4U
March 17, 2026
Tibor Kapu Brings Special Gifts to Debrecen-based Researchers
A selective breeding programme has been running for decades at the University of Debrecen’s Faculty of Agriculture, Food Science and Environmental Management, as a result of which plants previously bred in greenhouses were sent to the International Space Station to test how suitable they are for cultivation in space. The effect of gravity could also be simulated in the cabin for this purpose.
Astronauts exhale carbon dioxide; consequently, while under terrestrial conditions there are 350 milligrams of carbon dioxide per litre of air, on the space station this can be as high as 10,000, explained Miklós Fári, professional coordinator of the Vitapric programme.
One thousand seeds were sent to the space station in the first Hungarian space plant experiment, and samples of the plants grown from them have now returned to Debrecen.
The researchers received the experimental materials for their scientific work from research astronaut Tibor Kapu. Until now, the samples had been stored in a freezer at minus 80 degrees Celsius; they were examined by Tibor Kapu as part of one of the 25 Hungarian experiments in the HUNOR programme.
“One of the finest examples of the HUNOR programme is the scale of the challenges we face when we have to take an experiment into outer space, into an environment where, without gravity, the seeds do not really know which direction to grow, in a germination container from which they could very easily fall out—yet we were the only ones who managed to solve this,” the research astronaut emphasised.
Moreover, Tibor Kapu and his team were the first in the world to grow plants in the same atmosphere in which astronauts live. In the coming period, researchers will carry out various examinations on the plants. “We will begin the analyses, some of which relate to cultivation technology: how Tibor managed the harvest, how he handled storage, what happened in the growth container, how the roots developed, and of course we will examine the shoots together with the roots,” listed Szilvia Veres, Vice-Dean for Science and lead researcher of the Vitapric programme.
The University of Debrecen was selected for the space research programme from among several thousand applicants. “It was extremely difficult to be selected from among the thousands of projects assessed by NASA experts and Axiom staff, and for this to be included and ultimately sent to the space station is the result of very serious effort and considerable expertise,” said László Stündl, Dean of the Faculty.
Tibor Kapu also took alfalfa seeds into space in his personal package; further examination of these will also be carried out by researchers at the University of Debrecen.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Debrecen városa (Facebook)
