ISS Increment 5, UF-2 to 9A: Seed-to-Seed Development of Soybean Plants in Microgravity -- During the fifth International Space Station Increment, WCSAR partnered with Dupont / Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. to study the effects of microgravity on the seed-to-seed growth cycle of soybeans. Over 90 days, the soybean seeds successfully germinated, flowered, and developed mature seeds. Post-mission analysis data shows that 7 of the 8 seeds germinated in space; all of which grew to produce siliques containing mature seeds.
http://wcsar.engr.wisc.edu/sts-111.html

The first crop developed specifically for growth in space has been developed at Utah State University.
USU-Apogee, a space-age wheat variety, produces the equivalent of almost 600 bushels of grain per acre-- three times the top yields from fields. It took more than a decade to develop a wheat suitable for space farms, where the artificial sun always shines, carbon dioxide levels are high and space is at a premium. Apogee thrives under those conditions. Its heads emerge 23 days after germination, about a week sooner than some varieties grown in controlled environments.

"We're tickled to death with Apogee," said space scientist Doug Ming, with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We're seeing much higher yields than the other varieties we've tried. It's also much shorter." Bruce Bugbee, the USU crop physiologist who developed the variety, has worked with NASA for 15 years. He heads a NASA-supported university research facility to develop food crops for space in a complex consisting of 30 computer-controlled growth chambers of various sizes, in addition to several greenhouses.

Previously, the only wheat to be grown in space was Superdwarf, a short (about 10 inches tall) line that Bugbee originally found in Mexico. Superdwarf's short height is an attribute, but it grew poorly and produced low yields in the prototype space farms, known as regenerative life support systems. Apogee, which is the term for the point in orbit farthest from Earth, is a dwarf hard red spring wheat, developed from thousands of segregating lines. It produces few tillers, or branches, which sap energy that can be used for grain production. It fits the bill for space farming-- short (about 18 inches tall when mature), producing an unusually large number of seeds, and luxuriant greenleaves. Other wheat grown in controlled environments tended to develop yellow leaf tips characteristic of calcium deficiency, often killing 30 percent of the leaf. "Superdwarf required perfect conditions for growth. Apogee doesn't," Ming said.

To boost growth and yields, plants destined for space are always bathed in light, at a constant temperature and in air enriched with carbon dioxide, Bugbee said. Their roots never touch soil. All are grown hydroponically or in a crumbly substrate. Apogee isn't likely to be as popular on Earth as other crop varieties. Its yields are comparable to taller field varieties, but its shortness hampers harvest and limits its ability to compete with weeds.

Apogee's baking characteristics are good, at least on Earth. Making bread in space is still uncharted territory.

Bugbee provides free samples of Apogee to research laboratories around the world and to schools.

http://www.usu.edu/cpl/newsrels.html