CHANGSHA - Farmers in Central China are reaping success with a type of lotus grown from seeds carried into space by Chinese astronauts in experiments designed to increase their yield.

Growing of "space lotus" has been pioneered by Li Baocheng, who has planted and helped others to plant 5,000 mu (333 hectares) of land in Shaoyang, Hunan province, with the aquatic perennial.

Lotuses produce stunning flowers above the shallow water they grow in and delicious, edible roots below. Their seeds are particularly prized as a food and for their use in herbal medicine. Li's crop on 150 mu attracts tourists to stay in his guesthouse in Shaoyang's Dongfeng village.

It all started in 2004, when Li heard about space lotus from a chef friend. The chef told him that the product could make him more money than Li's usual crop, potatoes.

A state-backed project saw the seeds taken into space aboard satellites and spaceships in the mid-1990s. Vacuum and microgravity conditions transformed them, according to the scientists behind the project.

In 2005, Li gave a wholesaler 5,000 yuan ($756) for 65 seedlings, which covered just one mu. While growing the lotus, he raised loaches, carp and mudsnails in the surrounding water. The lotus and aquatic products generated more than 15,000 yuan at the end of the year.

By day, guests at Li's inn gorge on the visual feast of the flowers, and at night they dine on lotus and fish from the same fields.

"Even my wife, who was unemployed, began to get very busy dealing with the tourists," Li said.

As his farm-tourism business started to take root, Li developed two other types of lotus based on the original strain. The new, late-maturing varieties helped prolong the flowering period from June to October, and kept the visitors coming.

"Each weekend, our village is so busy that there are often traffic jams on the country roads," said the 67-year-old.

Last year, he formed a rural cooperative in Dongfeng, bringing in extra business partners. He has also been selling seedlings to other parts of Shaoyang, charging 1,000 yuan for enough to cover one mu plus a small surcharge for technical support ("Just enough to cover the price of fuel.").

It is easy to see why lotus is a popular crop with farmers wanting to get the most profit out of the space at their disposal. Currently, a kilogram of potatoes sells for about three yuan, while a kilogram of lotus root sells for about twice as much. Lotus seeds are much more expensive, with each kilogram going for 60 yuan.

Shaoyang is famous for its Lotus Pond, the inspiration for ancient philosopher Zhou Dunyi's renowned essay "Ode to the Lotus Flower." But there was barely any lotus production there in the years before Li had his bright spark.

Now, space lotus has been planted in 11 regions of Shaoyang, and even in neighboring Hubei Province. Li expects the amount of farmland planted with space lotus in Hunan and Hubei to double in the near future.

"I hope the growth of the lotus can help everyone in Shaoyang who loves the beautiful flowers and enable local villagers to live better lives," he said.