Molecular database of Chinese cymbidium varieties officially launched
This flower won a gold award at the 2008 Wuhan cymbidium exhibition. At the time it was named, some orchid enthusiasts suggested calling it "Cao Mei." Olympic Mei Hui Orchid lotus-form plum petals have won awards at national orchid exhibitions many times; in 2013 in Taicang it won a silver award.
In order to effectively sort out the existing cultivated varieties of Chinese cymbidium and promote the development of the cymbidium industry, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Yixing Huasheng Rhododendron Experimental Farm have cooperated to establish the "Molecular Database of Chinese Cymbidium Varieties."
Cymbidium is native to China and is one of the earliest cultivated and most widespread orchids in our country, deeply favored by the broad community of Chinese orchid enthusiasts. At present, there are many cymbidium varieties on the domestic market, and prices vary greatly, ranging from several hundred yuan to several hundred thousand yuan per seedling. How to identify traditional cymbidium varieties, newly discovered wild-collected varieties, and artificially bred hybrid varieties has long been a difficult problem troubling the development of the cymbidium industry, and is also one of the issues of greatest concern to the broad community of Chinese orchid enthusiasts. To meet the wishes and demands of orchid enthusiasts nationwide, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Yixing Huasheng Rhododendron Experimental Farm, after repeated consultation and demonstration, formally signed a cooperation contract in mid-March 2013 to establish the "Molecular Database of Chinese Cymbidium Varieties," and set up a dedicated working group. The working group is led by Researcher Luo Yibo of the State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, with Mr. Chen Xuexiang of Jiangsu Yixing Huasheng Orchid Garden as deputy leader, and other participating researchers as members. The first phase of the project plans to use 30 traditional cymbidium varieties as samples, carry out molecular marker development, form a unique molecular barcode for each variety, and establish the "Molecular Database of Chinese Cymbidium Varieties."
The completion of the "Molecular Database of Chinese Cymbidium Varieties" can enable scientific identification of cymbidium varieties, effectively distinguish newly wild-collected flowers among cymbidium varieties from artificially bred hybrid varieties, further prosper Chinese orchid culture, and promote the healthy and orderly development of the orchid industry.