September 2007

PLANT USED BY COSMONAUTS ON MIR SPACE STATION TO BE HARVESTED IN BEAUSEJOUR FIELD DAY

September 24, 2007

News media are invited to a harvest demonstration of highly nutritious seabuckthorn berries and to learn more about this unusual crop. Seabuckthorn is a plant known throughout Europe and Asia for its therapeutic uses. Its berries are among the most nutritious and vitamin-rich fruits found in the plant kingdom. However, North Americans are just beginning to recognize the plant’s potential.

The challenge in developing a seabuckthorn industry in Manitoba is related to harvesting. Hand-picking an orchard is almost impossible, while shaking the shrubs does not yield enough berries.  The Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI) approved an $89,420 grant to the Manitoba Seabuckthorn Growers Association to investigate a method of freezing seabuckthorn branches to gain access to the berries.  

Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) has designed a cost-effective harvesting system which will be demonstrated at this event. Some notable uses of seabuckthorn include:

• Russian cosmonauts on space station Mir included the juice from seabuckthorn berries in their diets. They also used a seabuckthorn facial cream during their time in space.
• The seabuckthorn based sports drinks “Shawikang” and “Jianibao” were the official drink for Chinese athletes attending the Seoul Olympic Games.
• In ancient Greece, seabuckthorn leaves and branches were fed to horses, as a way of helping the horses to gain weight and develop shiny coats.
• Seabuckthorn oils are used to treat burns, bed sores and other skin complications.

ARDI is a research and development granting program sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.

For more information, please contact:

Rhea Yates, ARDI Communication

Phone: (204) 896-6926 or Cell: (204) 232-0840

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