Articles
EVALUATION OF RUBUS GERMPLASM RESOURCES IN CHINA
According to comprehensive evaluation 23 taxa of great potentiality have been recommended.
In China there are 201 species and 98 varieties, totally 299 taxa, in Rubus distributed in 27 provinces and districts.
The history of using Rubus plants as medicines is more than 2 000 years.
According to the records on ancient classical medical works, such as «Shengnong Bencao Jin», «Bencao Gangmu» and «Dictionary of Chinese Medicines» more than 47 species of Rubus plants have been used in various prescriptions for more than 40 illnesses.
Some of them have been produced as prepared medicines or even injections.
Based on a series of researches on the distribution of Rubus species, especially of the primitive categories, Lu (1983) suggested that North America is the current distribution center of Rubus whereas SW China, being geologically archaic and having not been seriously covered by glacier during Quaternary, could be the center of origin and the center of diversity of the genus.
Hence, there are actually abundant resources to be explored.
In fact, a significant role has been presented by wild species endemic to China in the breeding history of Rubus, such as R. biflorus, R. coreanus, R. ellipticus, R. innominatus var. kuntzeanus, R. lasiostylus, R. niveus, R. parvifolius etc.
As early as in 1960 Professor M. Zhen (Tsen), a famous promologist in China, once attempted to develop some researches on small fruit resources after his visit to Poland.
But it was ceased soon at its very beginning.
In NE China Rubus has once been introduced and cultivated by immigrants from Russia, but it has not been developed in a large scale.
Researches beyond taxonomy and medical functions were not occured until mid 1980’s.
Since then a series of projects started on exploration, utilization and