By Xinhua
Beijing : Chinese researchers said they have 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, the researchers said. Rice is a staple food for China’s 1.3 billion people.
The experiment was the culmination of 10 years of research by Lin Xinchun and his colleagues at Zhejiang Forestry College.
The trigger for bamboo flowering, which occurs as part of the plant’s natural lifecycle every 60-120 years, has long baffled scientists. Lin said the chance of observing bamboo flowering is very rare.
Bamboo plants are the sole food for China’s endangered giant pandas. After flowering, the bamboo dies. Unless there is another species of bamboo that the pandas could eat, the animal may 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.