First report on Paratischeria from Asia (Lepidoptera: Tischeriidae) | XU | Zootaxa https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4350.2.8 赣南师范大学潜叶昆虫研究组近期与立陶宛昆虫学家共同发表了冠潜蛾科的亚洲新纪录属（拟冠潜蛾属 Paratischeria ）及1新种、1新组合。云南发现的景东拟冠潜蛾（ P. jingdongensis Xu Dai)幼虫潜食豆科植物（秧青 Dalbergia assamica ）的叶片。豆科亦是冠潜蛾的新寄主科。 全文链接 Fulltext DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4350.2.8 First report on Paratischeria from Asia (Lepidoptera: Tischeriidae) JIASHENG XU, XIAOHUA DAI, PENG LIU, HAIYAN BAI, ARūNAS DIŠKUS, JONAS R. STONIS Abstract We provide the first report on the leaf-mining Tischeriidae genus Paratischeria Diškus Stonis from Asia. We describe Paratischeria jingdongensis Xu Dai, sp. nov., a new species discovered in Yunnan, China, feeding on Dalbergia assamica Benth., Fabaceae and redescribe P. hestias (Meyrick, 1915), comb. nov., a hitherto very little known species from India, which has been recently discovered in northern Vietnam, feeding on Helicteres viscida Blume, Malvaceae. We also report on the Fabaceae family as a novel host-plant family of Tischeriidae. The described and redescribed Paratischeria species are illustrated with photographs of the leaf-mines, adults, genitalia, and habitats. We also provide maps of new Paratischeria findings, and, along with a diagnostic scheme to the genus, present some data on global distribution of Paratischeria occurring in tropical and subtropical regions on both sides of the Equator. In addition, we designate a new Paratischeria neotropicana species group and provide two more new taxonomic combinations: Paratischeria heteroterae (Frey Boll, 1878) comb. nov. and P. capnota (Meyrick, 1915) comb. nov. Keywords Lepidoptera, China, Dalbergia assamica, Helicteres isora, Helicteres viscida, host plants, leaf-mines, new species, Paratischeria, Tischeriidae, Vietnam, Yunnan
Biology of Plants (7 th ed.) Authors: Peter H. Raven, Ray F. Evert, Susan E. Eichhorn ------------------- 美国植物学家 Peter H. Raven 1936年出生于上海。1960年毕业于UCLA，获博士学位 ，研究了月见草属的系统学问题。1970年，推出 他的植物学教科书（第1版）。 Peter H. Raven 是 “ 中国通 ” ： 中国与美国古植物学交流与合作的大门是如何被打开的？ Story of Palaeobotany of Series (75): How was the door to the academic communication and cooperation between Chinese and American palaeobotanists re-opened in the 1970s? (in Chinese) http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-225931-378602.html 1994 年当选为中国科学院外籍院士； 2009 年获 “ 中国科学院国际科技合作奖 ” ； 2010 年获中国政府授予来华工作外国专家的国家级最高奖项 --“ 中华人民共和国友谊奖 ” 。 ------------------------------------ 以下文字引自中国科学院学部网站，部分内容需要更新： 雷文（ Peter H. Raven ） 雷文: （ Peter H. Raven ），植物学家。美国国籍。生于中国上海。 1960 年获美国洛杉矶加州大学博士学位。 1971 年迄今任美国密苏里植物园主任。 1987 － 1995 年担任美国国家科学院内务秘书长。 1994 年起任美国总统科技顾问委员会委员。美国国家科学院院士 (1977) ， 20 个国家科学院的外籍院士。曾获联合国环境项目颁发的 “ 国际环境领导奖章 ” （ 1982 ），日本天皇颁发的 “ 国际生物学奖 ” （ 1986 ）等。雷文博士在植物进化和系统植物学方面作出了出色的贡献。提出了协同进化的概念；提出了物种居群之间的基因流范围不足以维持物种的统一性的学说并得到证实；提出了传粉生物学领域物种之间的能量关系；开拓了板块运动及其对生物地理和植物进化影响的研究等。担任美国密苏里植物园主任 20 多年，使该园成为世界最有影响的植物研究机构。对推进世界范围内的生物多样性保育作出了重大的贡献，并是这一领域的领导者。在推动与组织编写出版英文版的《中国植物志》方面起了很重要的作用。 1994 年当选为中国科学院外籍院士。 http://www.casad.cas.cn/aca/315/wjysmd-200906-t20090624_1808868.html 1 2
善待古植物学孤儿 (1): 从美国人最早科学研究中国植物化石谈起 何谓古植物学孤儿（ Orphaned collection of fossil plants ）？在我的古植物学世界和语境里，凡是没人青睐、没人管理、很可能被遗失被丢弃的植物化石标本（植物大化石、孢粉样品及凭证标本）即是古植物学孤儿。植物化石标本是不可再生的自然资源。毫不夸张地说，每一块植物化石标本在天地之间都是唯一的。无论从职业操守来说，还是从政策法规来看，我们都要善待古植物学孤儿。 在中国大陆，一些学术机构的古植物学自生自灭后，植物化石标本的命运很糟糕，或因管理不善而被遗失，或因某种私怨与狭隘被当作垃圾丢弃。有些植物化石标本还没有等到研究者退休，还没有赶上研究者所在学术机构的古植物学自生自灭早就无影无踪了。如此古植物学悲剧在我的祖国不断重演。难道是体制原因？难道是职业道德和操守问题？难道是法律法规不健全吗？ Fig.1. 叶化石 -- 疑成古植物学孤儿但需要再研究的伪“模式标本” (Photo credit: Qigao Sun ’ s image collections) 昨天我写了《美国哥伦比亚大学古植物学自生自灭和标本托孤及再托孤》一文，上传到我的科学网“古植物学博客”。一位中国同行王祺博士看后，给我传来一篇有关中国植物化石的著名历史文献。这篇文章的作者正是纽约哥伦比亚大学的植物化石标本主要研究者 --1863 年美国科学院首批遴选的美国第 1 位古植物学院士 John Strong Newberry （ 1822--1892 ）！我在拙作 -- 《古植物学简史与我们的使命》（ 2011 年中文版）“第 6 章 -- 亚洲地区古植物学研究概况”第 1 段落提及 John Strong Newberry 关于中国植物化石的先驱性工作。 Newberry- on Fossil Plants from China-1862--1865.pdf 1865 年，美国科学院院士、著名古植物学家 John Strong Newberry 发表论文，研究了中国含煤岩层的一些化石植物，包括产自著名化石点 -- 北京西山斋堂的植物化石。 根据已有文献，我们判断： John Strong Newberry 这篇文章是人类用现代科学思想和方法研究产自中国地区的植物化石的第 1 篇科学论文！换句话说，中国的植物化石最早是由美国人开始科学研究的。 为什么 John Strong Newberry 在 19 世纪 60 年代初有缘于中国的植物化石？ 如今， John Strong Newberry 研究的中国植物化石在哪里？ 也许“哥大植物化石托孤标本”会给我们提供线索。我们期待有人对此开展卓越研究！ 孙启高 2015 年 5 月 30 日上午写于图书馆 ------------------- 相关阅读： 古植物学的故事 359 期 Story of Paleobotany Series (No.359) Umbrella of American paleobotany-116 - 美国哥伦比亚大学古植物学自生自灭和标本托孤及再托孤 The rise and fall of paleobotany of the Columbia University (NYC) and the fate of orphaned collection of fossil plants http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-225931-894063.html 2015-5-29 23:11
General plant genomics resources Phytozome : comparative genomics of plants. PlantGDB : plant genome database NCBI Plant Genomes Central : Links to NCBI resources for plant genomics. M unich I nformation System for P rotein S equences. Arizona Genome Institute Clemson University Genomics Institute ChromatinDB Carbohydrate active enzymes Cell Wall Genomics Primer3 primer design tool Gene Ontology Plant Ontology MicroRNAs GRIN: Germplasm Resources Information Network The Virtual Plant at NYU. Agricola , a Bibliographic database of citations to the agricultural literature Phytome supports phylogenetic and functional analyses of predicted protein sequences across plants. OrthologID provide phylogenetic analysis of Arabidopsis, rice, Populus, and Chlamydomonas genes PlantTribes provides OrthoMCL clustering of plant proteins, developed as part of the Floral Genome Project. Gene expression PLEXdb (Plant Expression Database) is a unified public resource for gene expression for plants and plant pathogens. http://www.plexdb.org ArrayExpress is a public repository for transcriptomics and related data at EBI. http://www.ebi.ac.uk/arrayexpress/ http://signal.salk.edu MPSS (Massively Parallel Signature Sequencing) datasets for Arabidopsis, rice, and grape, at U Delaware: http://mpss.udel.edu Botany Array Resources (BAR). http://www.bar.utoronto.ca GeneVestigator is a reference expression database and meta-analysis system for studying the expression and regulation of genes by summarizing information from hundreds of microarray experiments into easily interpretable results. https://www.genevestigator.ethz.ch/ Gene Indices and EST resources The Gene Index project (formerly, TIGR gene indices) http://compbio.dfci.harvard.edu/tgi/ PlantTA: Plant Transcript Assemblies http://plantta.tigr.org HarvEST: EST analysis resources for barley, Brachypodium, Citrus, Coffea, cowpea, soybean, rice, and wheat. http://harvest.ucr.edu/ Arabidopsis resources TAIR (The Arabidopsis Information Resource) http://www.arabidopsis.org; http:// www.tair.org) Salk Institute Genome Analysis Laboratory. http://signal.salk.edu/ AtGenExpress, a multinational effort to uncover the transcriptome of A. thaliana. http://www.arabidopsis.org/info/expression/ATGenExpress.jsp Botany Array Resources (BAR). http://www.bar.utoronto.ca Arabidopsis small RNA project http://asrp.cgrb.oregonstate.edu/ Arabidopsis MPSS data at U Delaware. http://mpss.udel.edu/at/ Grasses and cereals: rice, maize, sorghum, wheat, barley, Brachypodium, et al. Gramene: A Resource for Comparative Grass Genomics http://www.gramene.org Grain Genes 2.0: A Database for Triticeae and Avena. http://wheat.pw.usda.gov Sorghum genome sequence at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/sorghum MaizeDB ( www.maizedb.org) Maize genome sequence at CSHL ( www.maizesequence.org) Oryza map; maize FPC map. Arizona Genome Institute. http://www.genome.arizona.edu/ Maize and sorghum assembled gene islands (Methyl-filtration) http://magi.plantgenomics.iastate.edu/ Brachpodium genome database www.brachybase.org www.modelcrop.org Brachypodium genome database at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/brachypodium Marker Assisted Selection for wheat. http://maswheat.ucdavis.edu PanZea: Molecular and Functional Diversity of the Maize Genome www.panzea.org Maize Oligonucleotide Array Project http://www.maizearray.org/ Beijing Genome Institute Rice Information System (RISE): http://rise.genomics.org.cn/rice Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB) http://rapdb.dna.affrc.go.jp/ TIGR rice genome annotation and resources. www.tigr.org/tdb/rice International Rice Research Institute http://www.irri.org/ Rice MPSS data at U. Delaware http://mpss.udel.edu/rice/ Legumes: Soybean, Medicago, Lotus, et al. Soybean genome sequence at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/soybean Medicago truncatula: a model for legume research ( www.medicago.org). Links to genome sequencing, functional genomics, comparative genomics Legume Information System http://www.comparative-legumes.org Soybase and the soybean breeders toolbox. http://soybase.agron.iastate.edu/ Lotus japonicus genome project at Kazusa http://www.kazusa.or.jp/lotus/ BeanGenes: a Phaseolus/Vigra database, including links to other useful sites. http://beangenes.cws.ndsu.nodak.edu/ SoyMap: An integrated map of soybean for resolution and dissection of multiple genome duplication events. http://www.soymap.org/ Soybean genome map at Southern Illinois University http://soybeangenome.siu.edu/ Forest tree genomics Populus trichocarpa genome at Phytozome. http://www.phytozome.net/poplar Dendrome is a collection of forest tree genome databases and other forest genetic information resources for the international forest genetics community. Dendrome is part of a larger collaborative effort to construct genome databases for major crop and forest species. http://dendrome.ucdavis.edu Eucalyptus TreeGenes EST database: http://treegenes.ucdavis.edu PopulusDB expression database at Umea Sweden. http://www.populus.db.umu.se/ Genomic tool development for the chestnut tree and other Fagaceae http://www.fagaceae.org/ Other plant species International Grape Genome Project http://www.vitaceae.org Grape genome sequence at Genoscope: http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/externe/English/Projets/Projet_ML/index.html Grape genome at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/grape Grape MPSS data at U Delaware http://mpss.udel.edu/grape/ Genome Database of Rosaceae ( www.bioinfo.wsu.edu/gdr) Tomato genome project SOL Genomics Network is a clade-oriented database containing genomic, genetic and taxonomic information for species in the families Solanaceae (e.g., tomato, potato, eggplant, pepper, petunia) and Rubiaceae (coffee). Genomic information is presented in a comparative format and tied to the Arabidopsis genome. www.sgn.cornell.edu Compositae genomics project http://compgenomics.ucdavis.edu/ Mimulus, columbine The Physcomitrella patens computational biology resources http://www.cosmoss.org/ Physcomitrella patens genome at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/physcomitrella Selaginella moellendorfii genome sequence at Phytozome: www.phytozome.net/selaginella Castor Bean Genome Database at TIGR. http://castorbean.tigr.org/ Papaya Genome Project at University of Hawaii http://cgpbr.hawaii.edu/papaya/ Brassica rapa genome Cotton genome database contains genomic, genetic and taxonomic information for cotton at USDA-ARS College Station TX. http://cottondb.org/ Cotton Genome Database at the Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia http://www.plantgenome.uga.edu/cotton/StartFrame.htm International Cotton Genome Initiative http://icgi.tamu.edu/ Plant pathogen genomics Pseudomonas syringae comparative genomics www.pseudomonas-syringae.org
1. Zhang Shumei, Chen Sumei, Chen Fadi*, Liu Zhaolei, Fang Weimin . The regulatory role of the auxin in the creeping chrysanthemum habit. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology. 2012,59(3):364~371 2. Zhao Min, Liu Zhaolei, Chen Sumei, Chen Fadi*, Jiang Jiafu, Song Aiping. PCR primers targeting cis _acting promoter elements in plants. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, 2012,59(3):413~418 3. Jiang Beibei, Chen Sumei, Jiang Jiafu, Zhang Shumei, Chen Fadi*, Fang Weimin* . Changes of endogenous hormones in lateral buds of chrysanthemum during their outgrowth. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology. 2012,59(3):356~363 4. Deng Yanming, Chen Sumei, Chang Qingshan, Wang Haibin, Chen Fadi*. The chrysanthemum × Artemisia vulgaris intergeneric hybrid has better rooting ability and higher resistance to alternaria leaf spot than its chrysanthemum parent. Scientia Horticulturae. 2012,134:185~190 5. Tang Fangping, Wang Haibin, Chen Sumei, Chen Fadi*, Liu Zhaolei, Fang Weiming. Intergeneric hybridization between Dendranthema nankingense and Tanacetum vulgare. Scientia Horticulturae. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2011.10.003 email:1004769836@qq.com
上图是俄罗斯科学家用西伯利亚冻土带下埋了3万年的果实之胎座组织（柿子椒里面那个白色的东西是胎座组织的一个例子）培植出的。原文报道如下： Wild flower blooms again after 30,000 years on ice Fruits hoarded by ancient ground squirrels give new life to prehistoric plants. Sharon Levy 21 February 2012 Article tools Print Email Download PDF Rights and Permissions Share/bookmark Connotea Facebook Delicious Twitter Digg Friendfeed During the Ice Age, Earth’s northern reaches were covered by chilly, arid grasslands roamed by mammoths, woolly rhinoceros and long-horned bison. That ecosystem, known by palaeontologists as the mammoth steppe, vanished about 13,000 years ago. It has no modern counterpart. Yet one of its plants has reportedly been resurrected by a team of scientists who tapped a treasure trove of fruits and seeds, buried some 30,000 years ago by ground squirrels and preserved in the permafrost ( S. Yashina et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118386109; 2012 ). The plant would be by far the most ancient ever revived; the previous record holder was a date palm grown from seeds roughly 2,000 years old. A prehistoric plant resurrected from frozen tissue. S. Yashina et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA The squirrels’ burrows, 70 in all, were found on the banks of the lower Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia, 20–40 metres below the current surface of the tundra and surrounded by the bones of mammoths and other creatures. Some burrows contained hundreds of thousands of fruits and seeds, wonderfully preserved by the cold, dry environment. Researchers had previously attempted to grow plants from seeds found in these ancient burrows, including sedge, Arctic dock, alpine bearberry and the herbaceous plant Silene stenophylla . Those seeds did begin to germinate, but then faltered and died back. Tantalized, David Gilichinsky of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Pushchino decided to try a different approach (sadly, Gilichinsky passed away last week). He and his colleagues took samples of placental tissue from S. stenophylla fruits. The plant placenta — an example of which is the white matter inside a bell pepper — gives rise to and holds the seeds. The tissue produced shoots when it was cultivated in vitro , and the scientists used these to propagate more plants. They are the oldest living multicellular organisms on Earth, the team says. The plants have already blossomed to produce fertile seeds, which were grown into a second generation of fertile plants. During propagation, the ancient form of the wild flower produced more buds but was slower to put out roots than modern S. stenophylla , which is found along the banks of the Kolyma. This suggests that the original has a distinct phenotype, adapted to the extreme environment of the Ice Age. “I’m excited that someone has finally succeeded in doing this,” says Grant Zazula of the Yukon Palaeontology Program in Whitehorse, Canada, who has investigated previous claims of ancient seed germination. “There is a good chance that extinct plant species could now be brought back to life from permafrost-preserved seeds.” Although some members of the mammoth steppe ecosystem survive, no place on Earth currently holds the same combination of grasses, sedge and wild flowers that have been found in the mummified guts of Ice Age mammoths or in the frozen hoards of squirrels ( B. V. Gaglioti et al. Quatern. Res. 76, 373–382; 2011 ). Zazula speculates that living plant tissue from much earlier — hundreds of thousands of years ago — might also be revived, revealing evolutionary change over a longer timescale, and helping scientists to understand the lost ecology of periods such as the Ice Age. Journal name:NatureVolume:482 , Pages:454Date published:(23 February 2012)DOI:doi:10.1038/482454a
I took this side trip from SLC to PDX, to see my friend and to see this Chinese garden that I didn't get to see two years ago when I was in Portland, OR. How much can you do in the space of ONE block? Well, I am totally impressed by the variety of plants, some are blooming to welcome the spring. (I will see if I have some photos that are good enough to be uploaded.) It was a sunny day, from the morning all the way into the evening, which does not happen often in this part of the country in winter. I feel soooooo lucky, because I cannot ask for more. Hello, my friends. Hello, Suzhou (garden). From China, with love.
LEAF PCR PROTOCOL (Klimyuk et al., 1993, TPJ 3: 493-494) 1) Samples are harvested in 1.5 ml tubes and stored on ice. 2) 40ul of 0.25N NaOH was added and the samples boiled for 30 sec. 3) 40ul of 0.25N HCl then 20ul Tris mix was added and the samples boiled for another 2 min. -tissue samples can then be used immediatly or stored at 4 C for several weeks. -The amount of tissue used in each PCR reaction should not exceed 2mm2 or the reaction will not work. A small amount of treated material can be excised for use in a PCR reaction with a sterile Gilson tip. PCR reaction conditions are as follows: total volume= 50ul for 5.5 reactions 10X buffer 5ul 27.5uls 10mM dNTPs 1.25uls 6.875uls primer A 2.5uls 13.75uls primer B 2.5uls 13.75uls dH2O 38.75uls 213.1uls taq poly 1.0ul 5.5uls 95 C 10min 1X 95 C 30sec 55 C 30sec 72 C 45sec 30X 72 C 10min 1X run 15ul on a 2% agarose gel note: 2.5 times more primer is used and 2 times more taq polymerase in the leaf PCR protocol. If you could get by with less, Jonathan Jones would have done so! Stocks 0.25N HCl 0.25N NaOH Tris buffer: 0.5M Tris pH 8.0 0.25% Nonidet P-40 LEAF PCR ON ARABIDOPSIS TISSUE WITHOUT ALKALINE TREATMENT Preparation of Master mix: 1 x Taq-buffer 1.5 mM MgCl2 200 mM of each dNTP 1 mM each primer 0.5 ml 20 x Taq polymerase The mix is stored on ice until use. Preparation of leaf tissue: Put the leaf in a small Petri-dish. Make a hole in a leaf with the narrow end of the Pasteur pipette (a forceps might be helpful) and place the leaf in a PCR-tube, if necessary by blowing. On ice, add 50 ml the Master mix. Running the cycles: Transfer the tubes directly from ice to the prewarmed 94 C block on the Robocycler and run the following cycles: 94 C for 3 min 1 x 94 C for 30 s; Tann.* for 1 min; 72 C for 1 min-1 min 30 s 35 x 72 C for 10 min (optional) 1 x Appropriate controls: Positive Negative For screening transgenics: plasmid ColO ColO with endogenous primer-set g DNA gDNA with endogenous primer-set - DNA *The annealing temperature (Tann.) should be 2-3 C below the calculated Tann..
Jiang Gaoming, Dou Guanyi Chen Bosen Published in Chinadiology on October 01, 2010 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/3840-A-new-coastal-path Frantic land reclamation along Chinas coastline is harming fragile ecosystems, say Jiang Gaoming, Dou Guanyi and Chen Bosen. Here, they set out a proposal for making shore development work for the environment. China has almost 347,000 square kilometres of saline soil and, in theory, planting half of this with crops such as salicaceae or alfalfa could lead to absorption of 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Related articles Land reclamation: tread carefully March 11, 2008 Dark water: coastal China on the brink (part one) April 08, 2008 Dark water: coastal China on the brink (part two) April 08, 2008 Land reclamation in China has caused a steep decline in coastal plant life and seriously damaged local biodiversity. Here, we argue that natural ecosystems, such as coastal shoals, wetlands and mangrove forests, should be protected in order to boost vegetation levels on coastal and saline land and increase carbon dioxide absorption. Chinas coastal cities are experiencing a land reclamation boom, driven by the vast profits offered by new ground. One mu (around 667 square metres) of reclaimed land can be sold to a developer for one million yuan (US$149,000). With reclamation and construction costs of around 200,000 yuan (US$29,800) per square metre, thats a 400% mark up. But too much reclamation has been disastrous for coastal wetland ecologies. The extent of Chinas mangrove forests has plummeted from 500 square kilometres 60 years ago to 150 square kilometres today as a result of reclamation and felling, and their fragile ecosystems are at the brink. Many organisms have lost their habitats and breeding grounds, and the coast its important function as a protective barrier. There is therefore an urgent need to regulate land reclamation, ensure responsible use of coastal areas, construct an environmental-compensation system for oceans and protect the ecosystems of coastal shoals, wetlands and mangrove forests. Currently, 13% to 15% of construction activity in coastal provinces and cities 3% to 4% of the countrys total happens on reclaimed land. The State Council, Chinas highest administrative authority, has approved plans for Liaoning Coastal Economic Zone, Hebeis Caofeidian New Area, Tianjin Binhai New Area, Jiangsu Coastal Zone, Guangdong Pearl River delta area, Fujian Straits West Coast Economic Zone and Guangxis North Bay Economic Zone. Plans for the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone and Zhejiang Coastal Economic Zone are also being drawn up. Large swaths of these zones will be built on reclaimed land, presenting a huge challenge to the protection of coastal wetlands. Measures to increase ecological restoration must be fundamentally integrated into these developments. Increased levels of vegetation on coastal shoals (sand or silt landforms that extend from the land into the sea) and saline soil would reduce the impact of ecological degradation and act as a carbon sink. Jiangsu alone has 6,873 square kilometres of shoals. These have already seen successful test plantings of over 10 salt-tolerant energy crops low cost crops used to make biofuels such as sweet sorghum, Jerusalem artichoke and salicaceae; 30 salt-tolerant vegetable crops, including dwarf saltwort and water celery; and salt-tolerant fodder crops including rye, alfalfa and salicornia europaea, otherwise known as pickleweed. Some fodder crops have a better ability to absorb carbon than forests. Ten thousand square metres of Astragalus sinicus, also called Chinese milkvetch, for example, can store 7.5 tonnes of carbon. China has almost 347,000 square kilometres of saline soil and, in theory, planting half of this with crops such as salicaceae or alfalfa could lead to absorption of 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and carbon-trading profits of 10 billion yuan. Chinas reserved land includes almost 107,000 square kilometres of saline soil. If 40,000 square kilometres of this was planted with sweet sorghum or Jerusalem artichoke, 86 billion yuan of investment would be needed but it would produce 20 million tonnes of biofuel, worth 100 billion yuan, not to mention 10 million jobs in agriculture and 130,000 more in processing. Since 2002, the State Council and local governments have given the go-ahead for 740 square kilometres of land to be reclaimed. If we assume an environmental -compensation rate of 1.4 billion yuan per square kilometre, one trillion yuan of funds would have been raised under our proposed system. If for every mu (667 square metres) of land reclaimed, there was an obligation to restore 300 square metres of mangrove forest, plant 130,000 square metres of salt-tolerant energy forest and fodder or 40,000 square metres of salt-tolerant energy crops, the percentage of Chinas energy drawn from non-fossil sources would greatly increase, much more carbon would be captured and many jobs created. As well as protecting the environment, such a system would also provide a new energy industry for local land-reclamation projects. We therefore propose: First, the formation of an Oceanic Environmental Compensation Consultation Committee. At the end of 2009, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Oceanic Administration announced that management of land reclamation would be strengthened and started a programme to revise the zoning of coastal areas. In tandem with this, the authorities and experts should form a committee to investigate and plan compensation and carbon-trading mechanisms, in line with the aims of the 12th Five-Year Plan. Second, the establishment of a National Laboratory for Oceanic Environmental Compensation and Energy Crop Carbon Sequestration. Chinas salty marshland covers an area equivalent to one third of its total arable land, and there are 420 types of salt-tolerant plants besides mangrove forests energy crops such as sweet sorghum, Jerusalem artichoke and salicaceae. We propose a national laboratory to research the use of low-cost crops in shoals and salt marshes, coordinate practical aspects of the overall plan and strive towards environmental as well as economic success. Third, establish a Coastal Shoals Carbon Trading Association and an Ecological Compensation Energy Farm Association. The first of these would, either under a cap-and-trade system or with financial and technical support for ocean projects, use a portion of income from land reclamation to subsidise the planting of economic crops on shoals. The second would explore possibilities for an oceanic environmental compensation system responsible for restoring mangrove forests, shoals and wetlands and establishing farms for energy crops. Ultimately, these would bring the carbon-trading strengths of coastal energy crops into play, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and benefitting the coastal economy. Jiang Gaoming is chief researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Botany and vice secretary-general of the Ecological Society of China Dou Guanyi is a member of the Environment and Resources Committee of the September 3rd Society. Chen Bosen is deputy head of the Nantong City Committee of the September 3rd Society.
标签: plants
