After 10 years of research, large-scale breeding is achieved! What is the garlic orchid and is it edible?

After 10 years of research, this national second-level protected plant has finally achieved large-scale reproduction

Recently, after more than 10 years of unremitting efforts, Zhang Shibao's research team from the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has bred 17 new varieties of Solanum sibiricum through distant hybridization. They have finally overcome a series of technical difficulties such as seed germination, flowering period regulation, and cultivation technology of Solanum sibiricum, established a production and cultivation technology system for medicinal Solanum sibiricum, and cooperated with enterprises to establish an 800-acre Solanum sibiricum planting base, realizing the large-scale reproduction and cultivation of Solanum sibiricum.

In 2021, the list of national key protected wild plants was promulgated, and the entire genus (all species) of Glechoma were listed as national second-level protected plants. According to the standards of the Red List of Species of the World Conservation Union, all species of Glechoma are threatened, among which four species, Glechoma alba, Glechoma dasyphylla, Glechoma glamora and Glechoma crown, have reached the critically endangered level. Scientific protection and rational use of Glechoma dasyphylla are of great practical significance.

Part 1

The growth history of the garlic orchid

Pleione D. Don is an epiphytic, facultative epiphytic or terrestrial herbaceous plant of the Orchidaceae family (Figure 1). The genus has more than 20 native species and several natural hybrids worldwide, mainly distributed in southern China, the adjacent Himalayas and the northern part of the Indochina Peninsula.

Figure 1 The native habitat of the genus Cyperus

The Hengduan Mountains in southwest my country are the diversity center of the genus Glechoma. Among them, Yunnan Province is the most concentrated area of ​​Glechoma, with nearly 20 native species and natural hybrids. The plants of this genus have beautiful flowers and bright colors, and are world-famous ornamental orchids.

Plants of the genus Solanum have the habit of dormancy and deciduousness in winter. In spring, adult plants sprout flower buds from the base of the pseudobulbs and bloom, while immature pseudobulbs only grow leaves but no flowers, with 1-2 leaves on each pseudobulb.

During the growing season, the buds on the side of the old pseudobulb gradually swell to form a new pseudobulb, while the old pseudobulb gradually shrivels and shrinks. At the end of the growing season, the old pseudobulb completely withers and forms a new pseudobulb to hibernate over the winter (Figure 2). Therefore, the main way for the garlic orchid to adapt to water stress is through escape strategies.

Figure 2 Life history of Orchidaceae

The research team understood the demand for light and the changing patterns of pseudobulb biomass of the garlic orchid over the growth period. It can store nitrogen absorbed by the roots in the pseudobulb for use in the formation and growth of new organs.

Isotope labeling experiments confirmed that new leaves are the largest nitrogen pool for pseudobulb stored nitrogen and exogenously applied nitrogen, and the nitrogen required for fruit development mainly depends on pseudobulb stored nitrogen rather than exogenously applied nitrogen.

The mycorrhizal fungi of the genus Sebacinella are mainly Cantharellales (Gelatomycetes, Anthozoaceae, Ceropegiales and Sebacinaceae), among which Serendipitaceae can promote the germination of Sebacinella seeds and successfully differentiate into seedlings. The symbiotic fungi of Sebacinella species distributed in the same area may be different, and the symbiotic fungi of individuals of the same species in different habitats (tree epiphytes and stone epiphytes) may also be different.

In the life history of P. monocotyledon, colonization of mycorrhizal fungi can be observed in the early stages of root growth, and the composition and core species of mycorrhizal fungal communities remain constant during root elongation until the roots age and die.

Part 2

Judging from the name of the garlic orchid, is it edible?

In fact, the pseudobulbs of the garlic orchid are used as traditional medicine in many Asian countries.

After establishing the HPLC fingerprint of 16 species of the genus Cyperus, screening the medicinal germplasm resources of the genus and comparing them with the species included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the Chinese research team found that many species in the genus have the potential to replace the pharmacopoeia species.

Figure 3 Main representative species of the genus Dianthus (showing flowers and pseudobulbs, the medicinal part)

In my country, P. bulbocodioides and P. yunnanensis are included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as the source plants of the traditional Chinese medicine "Trillium gracile". Their pseudobulbs are commonly known as "ice balls", which have the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, resolving phlegm and dispersing nodules.

At the same time, by studying the accumulation patterns of medicinal pseudobulb biomass and main medicinal ingredients (dactylorhin A, militarine, batatasin III) and their relationship with the environment, it was found that the formation of medicinal garlic orchid yield (pseudobulb biomass) and quality (active ingredient content) is closely related to environmental factors such as light and water.

30~65% full sunlight, sufficient water or mild drought stress are conducive to the accumulation of effective ingredients in the medicinal cultivation process. The understanding of the environmental adaptability of this genus of plants has laid the foundation for the formulation of production and cultivation technology of Sophora japonica.

From this it can be seen that the garlic orchid is really edible, and it also has extremely high medicinal value!

Part 3

Even the orchid in the valley cannot resist being plucked too hard

Plants of the genus Allium have important ornamental and medicinal value, but they have strict requirements for habitats. Due to the lack of artificial cultivation technology, the demand for medicinal purposes has long relied on wild resources, resulting in the gradual depletion of wild resources and a soaring price of medicinal pseudobulbs year by year.

At present, all wild species of this genus are included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the "National List of Key Protected Wild Plants" promulgated in 2021.

Based on the statistics of specimens collected by major museums around the world and field surveys of 151 populations, the research team conducted a comprehensive assessment of the endangered status of 26 species of P. albiflora in accordance with the standards of the IUCN Red List. They found that all species are threatened, of which four species, including P. albiflora, P. arunachalensis, P. aurita and P. coronaria, have reached the Critically Endangered (CR) level.

Therefore, you cannot just pick and eat the Orchid. What you are picking is not just an orchid, but also a nationally protected wild plant!

You should know that in order to protect and rationally utilize the germplasm resources of the Orchidaceae, our country's scientists have conducted a decade-long exploration.

In the past decade, Zhang Shibao's research team at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has conducted systematic research on the application basis and key technologies for industrialization of the genus Cymbidium, collected and preserved more than 90% of the species in the genus, and bred 17 new varieties of Cymbidium through distant hybridization (Figure 4). In addition, the natural flowering period of the genus Cymbidium is spring or autumn, and the research team has also bred varieties that bloom in winter.

Figure 4 Some new varieties of Orchidaceae cultivated by the research team

In 2018, a new variety of Orchid was registered for the first time with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) of the United Kingdom. It was praised by "The Orchid Review" as "the first new variety registration from the hometown of Orchid". The Kunming Institute of Botany became the first institution in China to register a variety of Orchid.

Part 4

Scientists can help cultivate garlic orchids

The seeds of the genus Cyperus are as fine as dust, with incomplete embryo development and lack of endosperm to provide nutrients for seed germination. The germination rate is extremely low under natural conditions.

In order to solve this problem, the research team carried out research on artificial breeding technology of Solanum edulis, made breakthroughs in the sterile germination technology of seeds, realized large-scale seedling propagation, and explored the seed symbiotic germination and asexual cloning technology of Solanum edulis, which has been basically successful.

After establishing the production and cultivation technology system of medicinal garlic orchid, the research team cooperated with companies such as Zhaotong Yunsheng Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. to carry out demonstration and promotion of technological achievements and established an 800-acre garlic orchid planting base.

This cooperation has achieved the large-scale reproduction and cultivation of Glechoma longituba, reduced the excessive dependence of the Chinese medicinal materials industry on wild resources, promoted the protection and utilization of rare wild plant resources, the development of the Chinese medicinal materials industry and the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy.

Figure 5 Artificial propagation and large-scale planting of Glechoma longituba

Orchids are beautiful and grow in secluded valleys. Although they live in seclusion, we cannot let their beauty disappear. If you have the opportunity to see these rare species, please remember to contact professionals to protect them.

Produced by: China Science Expo

Author: Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The article only represents the author's views and does not represent the position of China Science Expo