Scientists in east China said that they had succeeded in copying
some genes of the bamboo plant, a development that they said could
lead to better food supplies for people.
Genetic material extracted last week from bamboo plants could
delay the flowering and seeding phases of paddy rice, which could
improve the crop yields and pest-resistance of a staple food for
China's 1.3 billion people, the researchers said.
The experiment was the culmination of 10 years of research by
Lin Xinchun, associate professor of Zhejiang Forestry College, and
his colleagues.
The trigger for bamboo flowering, which occurs as part of the
plant's natural life cycle every 60 to 120 years, has long
confounded scientists. "Even if a scientist starts studying bamboo
the moment he is born, the chance is rare for him to observe bamboo
flowering," said Lin.
Bamboo plants are the sole food for China's endangered giant
pandas. After flowering, the bamboo dies. Unless there is another
species of bamboo nearby that the pandas will eat, the animals face
starvation.
Lin and his team have built up a database of DNA related to
bamboo flowering, which they are trying to decode. This information
could be used to cultivate new types of bamboo with predictable
flowering periods, taking the uncertainty out of the pandas' food
supply.
"If we achieve the goal, it would be a real blessing for our
giant pandas," said Lin.
(Xinhua News Agency, December 6, 2007)