Sustainable Utilization and Economic Development of Some Plant Resources in Northern Pakistan

Overshadowed by the vast impact that habitat loss has on targeted plant species survival, it is easy to overlook the fact that utilization and harvesting of species can often result in their genetic depletion and in an often rapid downward trend of their population status. In this regard an ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plants of Shawar valley, District Swat was conducted with the aims to document medicinal plants and to examine the current status of the medicinal plants trade as well as the market chain starting from collectors to consumers. The survey reported 50 species of plants belonging to 33 families as ethnomedicinally important. These species were used as crud drugs by the local people and folk-lore for treating diseases in traditional system of medicine. The detailed local uses, recipe preparation along with their local names and diseases treated were recorded for each species.Market survey revealed that the structure of medicinal plant trade is complex and heterogeneous, involving many players. The collectors are often not aware of the high market prices and medicinal values, and most of the collected material is sold to local middlemen at a very low price. There was an increase of 3 to 5 folds in prices from collectors to the national market.Recommendations were given in the spheres of training sustainable harvesting and post harvesting of wild medicinal plant resources, trade monitoring, equitable sharing of benefits of wild resources, improved control on harvesting and trade for the conservation of resources, enhancement of cultivation efforts, future research into trade in wild harvested plants, community participation in natural resource management and value addition in the herbal products to maximize the benefits.     

Translocation of Otostegia bucharica,a highly threatened narrowly distributed relict shrub

Translocation is a recognized means of rescuing imperiled species but the evidence for the long-term success of translocations is limited. We report the successful translocation of reproductive individuals of a critically endangered shrub Otostegia bucharica from a site facing imminent habitat destruction into a nearby natural population of the species. The relocated plants were visited the year after planting and 13 years later to assess short-and long-term plant survival. Significant percentage of plants that survived transplanting shock and very dry spring following transplanting(around 36%), and further decrease of this number in the next 12 years by only 14%, indicated that O. bucharica is amenable to translocation using reproductive plants. Based on results of species distribution modeling, and failed attempts of ex situ cultivation, we propose introduction of this species into areas with suitable climatic and soil conditions.However, because there is currently no nature reserve in Uzbekistan having suitable conditions for the species under the present climate and that expected in the near future, and because all known habitats of O. bucharica are exposed to the very strong anthropogenic pressure, establishment of a new protected area, awareness building and involvement of local community in conservation activities are required to prevent extinction of this extremely rare species.     

Nitric oxide mediates the fungal elicitor-induced puerarin biosynthesis in Pueraria thomsonii Benth. suspension cells through a salicylic acid (SA)-dependent and a jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent signal pathway

Higher plants constitute one of our most important natural resources, which provide not only foodstuffs, fibers, and woods, but also many chemicals, such as flavorings, dyes, and pharmaceuticals. Although plants are renewable resources, some species are b…     

Advances in the reintroduction of rare and endangered wild plant species

Human disturbance and climate change have increased the risk of extinction for rare and endangered wild plant species.One effective way to conserve these rare and endangered species is through reintroduction.In this review,we summarize the advances in wild plant reintroduction from five perspectives:the establishment of reintroduction biology as an important tool for biodiversity conservation;the importance of genetic diversity in reintroduction;reintroduction under global climate change;recruitment limitation in reintroduction;and reintroduction and ecological restoration.In addition,we consider the future of plant reintroduction strategies.     

Hybridization between Gossypium herbaceum and Gossypium stochsii through embryo rescue

Nutrient media and culture conditions have been defined for ovules 3 and 5 d after pollination and embryos of Gossypium herbaceum respectively.The technique was then used to produce interspecific hybrids between a cultivated Gossypium herbaceum and a wild species,G.stocksii.The hybrid plants were transferred to field and they exhibited most of the characters of the pollen parent i.e.G.stocksii.     

Applied Ethnobotany：Participatory Approach for Community Development and Conservation

Applied ethnobotany is a new subject in ethnobiological sciences referring to the transferring,reviving and cultivating ethnobotanical knowledge among different social groups within intra-and-inter-communities.Much research related to biodiversity in many countries is largely devoted to the gathering of more academic information,rather than to more incise studies focusing on finding answers to pressing challenges related to the use of plants by communities.China is country possessing rich biodiversity and cultural diversity.The long history of Chinese traditional medicine,diversity of cultivated crops and utilization of wild plant species are great cultural traditions to the country.Today,many societies of the country are still intricately linked to the natural environment economically as well as societies and groups within China.However,China is facing major changes in modernization of the coutry‘s economy,and globalization to form part of the world exchange system.Increasingly high levels of consumptions of natural plants,as well as national and international traes on plant products have resulted,space in over-harvesting of wild resources and accelerated environmental degradation.Local social structures and cultural traditions have also changed in order to cope with policy changes.In this background,over the last decade,applied ethnobotany for rural community development and conservation has been employed in different field projects and ethnic minority communities in Yunnan province of China.The applied ethnobotany has focused on work at community level to achieve sustainable use of naural resources and conservation.This presentation discusses findings and lessons learned from the projects on alternatives and innovations to shifting cultivation in Xishuangbanna,southwestern China.     

Capturing,protecting and restoring plant diversity in the UK: RBG Kew and the Millennium Seed Bank

Ex situ seed banking is a practical and cost-effective means of preserving wild plant diversity and a crucial complement to the in situ conservation and restoration of species and habitats. As pressures on the natural environment have grown, so has the call for seed banks to provide scientifically-robust,practical solutions to seed-related problems in nature conservation, from single-species recovery and reintroduction to the restoration of complex, dynamic communities at the largest scales. In this paper, we discuss how the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and its Millennium Seed Bank have responded to this call in the United Kingdom. We demonstrate that banked seed collections can provide a range of otherwiseunavailable, high quality, known-origin, genetically-diverse biological materials. The data, expertise and specialist facilities that accompany these collections are also valuable, helping overcome constraints to the collection, production and effective use of native seed. Challenges remain-to ensure ex situ collections protect the species and genetic diversity that will enable plants to adapt to a changing environment, and to find new ways for seed banks to mobilise their resources at a landscape scale.     

Creation of the technique of interspecific hybridization for breeding in cotton

The new technique of interspecific hybridization was created in Gossypium, which could remarkably overcome abortion of interspecific hybridization and hybrid sterility of F1. A large number of germplasm resources were obtained from seventy cross combinations among the cultivated species and between the cultivated and the 14 wild species, respectively. 8 varieties have been developed, of which 4 were from the cross combination of G. hirsutumXG. arboretum and the other are the first breed from the hybrids between G. hirsutum and 4 wild species, respectively. Of them Shiyuan 321 (jimian 24) is a new variety which had the highest increase in the national Yellow River Valley Regional test, with planting area added up to 933333 ha in the recent three years. The breeding system of interspecific hybridization was established.     

Pollen morphology of the genus Cornukaempferia （Zingiberaceae） in Thailand

Cornukaempferia is a recently described genus of Zingiberaceae which only occurs in Thailand as a rare genus with limited geographical distribution. Only three species have been described so far, including a recently described new species, C. larsenii. These three species are morphologically very similar and additional data on other biological aspects are useful for the elucidation of their relationship. Pollen morphology of all three species of genus Cornukaempferia has been studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains are monad, spherical, inaperturate. The exine sculpture is echinate with psilate between the spines for C. aurantiflora and C. longipetiolata, or echinate with regulate between the spines for C. larsenii. This observation helps support the taxonomic status of C. larsenii.     

Genetic Analysis of Multiple Paternity in an Endangered Ovoviviparous Lizard Shinisaurus crocodilurus

The crocodile lizard(Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is an ovoviviparous lizard belonging to a monotypic family that originated during the end of the quaternary ice age. A rare species in the wild, the crocodile lizard was listed in CITES Appendix II. Knowledge of the reproductive biology and mating system of this species is important for designing conservation strategies and improving genetic variation. To investigate the paternity of the crocodile lizards and to interpret their reproductive behaviour, we collected saliva from females, potential fathers and offspring in a seminatural enclosure experiment and analyzed the paternity of the crocodile lizard using 12 microsatellite genetic loci. The overall observed incidence of multiple paternity was 42.9%(6 of 14 clutches) and Fis was 0.089 ± 0.056. These results indicate that the primary mating mode of the crocodile lizard is that males are polygynous while with females are polyandrous, and there is multiple paternity among offspring of the same mother.     

我国的野生棕榈科园林观赏植物资源

我国原产棕榈科植物约有 18属 10 0种 ,可用于园林绿化及观赏的有 12属 4 4种 ,可作行道树、园景树、庭园树、室内观赏树和海滨、沙滩绿化树。虽然资源不太丰富、分布范围较为狭窄 ,但观赏价值较高 ,许多为国家重点保护植物。本文还重点介绍了部分种类 ,并对开发利用提出了建议     

宁夏野生食用植物资源的调查与信息数据库的建立

通过野外调查与室内工作相结合,对宁夏野生食用植物资源进行调查与统计,建立宁夏野生食用植物资源数据库,并提出了宁夏野生食用植物资源开发和利用存在的问题。结果初步调查到宁夏野生食用资源植物共计74科186属348种10类,其中饮料及野果类植物与野菜植物具有一定的开发潜力,应该在这些野生食用资源植物中进行进一步的筛选,最终主要集中于人工驯化与栽培上。此外针对宁夏野生食用植物资源开发和利用面临的问题,需加强对宁夏野生食用植物资源状况的调查,并进行深入的研究,在前面所做的基础研究上,筛选特色的野生食用资源植物进行合理的开发和利用,之后对筛选出的野生食用资源植物进行人工栽培等工作,在土地可持续利用的前提下,研究野生食用资源植物与其他栽培作物间作的模式,同时在发展过程中通过收集珍贵濒危野生植物资源植物的种质资源,而对其加以保护。     

浙江新昌县药用植物资源研究

对浙江新昌县植物资源作了系统调查。经鉴定并根据已掌握的资料,新昌县有药用维管植物155科 504属807种,其中蕨类植物20科34属51种,种子植物135科470属756种。按其药用功能划分成清热药、 解表药等十类,并对每一类的药用功能作了详细介绍。进一步发现在新昌药用植物中有22种属于国家级或 省级珍稀植物。最后对新昌县药用植物资源的保护和持续利用提出了建议。     

广西野生阴生观赏植物资源及其特点

为了解广西境内蕴藏的野生阴生观赏植物资源及珍贵种质,采取野外实地考察及标本采集鉴定相结合的方法,对广西全境分布的阴生和半阴生观赏植物资源进行研究。结果表明:广西野生阴生观赏植物有5个基本特点:种类丰富(162科485属1309种)、种质资源珍贵(珍稀植物195种,广西特有植物136种)、生长基质多样(喜钙植物、喜酸植物和中间类型植物)、草本性状比值显著(草本植物约占总种数的66.1%)、野生资源贮藏量的多寡悬殊性。6个主要野生阴生观赏类群为:蕨类植物(43科240种)、兰科(37属126种)、百合科(21属82种)、苦苣苔科(17属63种)、秋海棠科(1属43种)、天南星科(12属30种)。研究结果可为合理开发利用广西野生阴生观赏植物资源提供参考。     

山东茶山高等植物资源及群落结构

目的:为有效保护和合理利用山东茶山国家级生态示范区植物资源提供科学依据.方法:对茶山进行了植物物种综合普查,调查范围涉及植物物种及野外分布、群落结构和区系组成.结果:记录到高等植物352种,隶属90科250属,其中国家二级重点保护植物4种.本区地带性植被为黑松人工林及次生杂木林,主要森林植被为黑松群落Pinus thunbergii community.其植物区系以热带分布类型和温带分布类型为主,纬度因素和"岛屿效应"应是形成该格局的主要成因.受强烈人为活动干扰,该区域原生植被类型已遭严重破坏,珍稀植物灭绝风险很高.结论:调查表明该区域群落结构简单,灌木层和层间结构不发达,群落演替时间短.     

贵州大沙河银杉自然保护区植物资源考察

在对大沙河银杉自然保护区进行实地考察的基础上,通过对８８科１５２属约３００种常见维管植物的调查分析,初步认为该区内植物资源有如下特点：１）植物区系成分复杂,种子植物属的分布区类型有１２个,北温带分布、东亚分布、热带亚洲分布和泛热带分布类型比较多见;２）古老、残遗及稀有、濒危植物比较集中,其中国家重点保护植物８种;３）园林、观赏植物类型多样,杜鹃花属植物尤具特色;４）药用植物资源丰富,红豆杉〔Ｔａｘｕｓｃｈｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ（Ｐｉｌｇｅｒ）Ｒｅｈｄ．〕、雷公藤（ＴｒｉｐｔｅｒｙｇｉｕｍｗｉｌｆｏｒｄｉＨｏｏｋ．ｆ．）等多为珍贵药用植物。对保护区的现状也进行了分析和评价。     

建立长江三峡植物园初探

报道了三峡地区自然条件、植物区系、植物资源、珍稀保护植物、古人树种资源和库区特产植物基本概况,提出了在三峡工程库区建立植物园的可行性和适宜性,以及三峡植物园的任务、特色和规划设计。     

广东省沙溪自然保护区植被资源与分布

文章通过对沙溪自然保护区的植物资源调查,对保护区的植被类型进行了分类,并对野生植物资源的种类的分布进行了分析.调查发现保护区有7种植被类型,其中以亚热带常绿阔叶林为主要植被类型,主要分布于海拔100~850m左右的丘陵和山地.亚热带常绿针叶与阔叶混交林面积较大,主要分布在长坪一带.亚热带常绿与落叶阔叶混交林、亚热带常绿针叶林、灌丛草坡分布较少.竹林主要在村庄附近的沟谷两旁和山地,处于半自然状态.保护区野生维管植物191科630属1225种,其中野生国家级保护植物7种,珍稀野生保护植物7种.保护区内植物资源丰富,其中野生维管植物资源种类繁多,蕴藏量较大,不少种类具有巨大的经济价值和生态价值,这对保护区及北江流域生态环境的保护和改善提供了基础依据.     

中国天山野果林种子植物组成及资源状况分析

中国天山野果林种子植物共计60科237属435种,种类组成趋向于集中在少数科内,区系优势现象相当明显,反映出野果林自然环境的特殊性与区系的过渡性。在这些植物种类中有国家重点保护植物9种、中国珍稀濒危保护植物3种、自治区重点保护植物9种;林区野生植物资源非常丰富,统计结果表明：野生果树40种、食用植物30种、饲用植物以种、蜜源植物111种、观赏植物132种、香料植物如种、药用植物131种。文中对各类资源植物的特征进行了分析和讨论,并就野果林的保护及可持续利用提出建议。     

三峡库区资源植物的现状与保护

据调查统计,三峡库区有资源植物2070种,其中药用植物1006种、纤维植物104种、油脂植物76种、观赏植物74种、野果植物54种、芳香植物54种、树脂树胶植物68种、淀粉及糖类植物52种,鞣科植物32种、珍稀植物49种、其它类型植物465种。论述了三峡库区资源植物的分类及保护现状。