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China expands seed bank for tung trees
December 24, 2019
CHANGSHA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's largest seed bank for tung trees said it has collected gene resources for 317 strains in an effort to guard the trees against dwindling genetic diversity.
The tung germplasm bank in Xiangxi, Hunan Province, is entrusted to store seeds and breed better varieties for China, the world's largest producer of tung oil.
The institute has collected seeds from major tung planting areas in China, including the provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Shaanxi, said Shang Hai, who oversees the facility.
Its seed collection now covers the vast majority of tung strains in China, a country rich in tung strains, and its experts are still searching for any unknown strains, Shang said.
Tung trees are an important source of tung oil that is widely used in chemical, printing and telecommunication industries. It is the key ingredient in the coating of aircrafts, submarines and offshore oil drilling equipment.
There has been increasing imperative for genetic preservation in recent years, however, as the trees are dwindling in number and genetic diversity in China, partly caused by the incursion of more profitable trees, according to Shang. ■
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