On May 15, the reporter learned from the Chengbi River Management and Protection Station of Bailin Forest Farm in Baise City that among the more than 1,000 Debao cycads in the Debao cycad transplantation area on the bank of the Chengbi River this year, 14 female cycads have bloomed, 9 more than last year. At the same time, the first batch of Debao cycad seeds harvested after flowering and seed bearing in 2023 have been successively broken through the ground after several months of artificial breeding. So far, the Debao cycads transplanted to the Chengbihe Nature Reserve in Guangxi have achieved the "triple jump" of successful transplantation, flowering and seed bearing, and successful seed breeding in the first batch within 3 years.
Debao cycads
Debao cycad is a national first-class protected plant and the oldest existing seed plant, which is of great significance for the study of the origin and evolution of seed plants, the co-evolution of plants and animals, flora, paleogeology and paleoclimate changes.
The source of the plants in the Debao cycad transplantation area was handed over by the public security department after investigation. In September 2021, 1,383 plants were transplanted, with a survival rate of 95%.
In 2023, a total of 5 female Debao cycads will bloom and bear seeds in the one-time large-scale ex-situ transplantation area, and more than 1,100 seeds will be harvested in the first batch.
Debao cycad seeds
The flowering period of Debao cycads is from March to July, the male flowers bloom first, the female flowers bloom later, and the overlap period of male flowers and female flowers is very short, when the female flowers are in full bloom, most of the male flowers have withered, so under the condition of sporadic and sparse distribution of Debao cycads, the probability of female flowers and male flowers meeting is very small. According to the management personnel, the natural pollination of Debao cycads is done by small beetles, which can freely enter and exit the bodies of male and female flowers, completing the "one line" of a beautiful marriage.
Artificially cultivated Debao cycad seedlings
The rangers of the Chengbi Lake Management and Protection Station of Bailin Forest Farm are checking the growth of Debao cycad seedlings
On May 11, the reporter saw at the breeding site of the Debao cycad transplantation area that the first batch of seeds had broken the ground one after another after several months of careful cultivation, with hundreds of seedlings and a large plant height of more than 10 centimeters. In the seedling pots arranged in two rows, the dense clusters of seedlings are scattered and full of greenery. This batch of seedlings will be ready for transplanting shortly after.
Workers fertilize and fill the soil for Debao cycads
It is understood that after the harvest of the batch of seeds, the management personnel manually peeled off the outer seed coat, washed off the pulp, dried the seeds, and a week later, the dried Debao cycad seeds were soaked in a certain concentration of potassium permanganate solution for 30 to 40 minutes, and then put into the river sand basin for sand storage. After that, keep the surface of the river sand moist and do a good job of keeping warm in winter. On March 19 of this year, managers observed the first bud.
Next to a withered Debao cycad in the transplantation area, reporters and managers observed the activities of beetles. Not long after, sure enough, a small beetle crawled out of it, and the management caught it with his fingers, and the beetle crawled quickly on his fingers, which was the "hero" of the marriage.
Debao cycad female flower
Debao cycad male flower
Walking among the Debao cycads, you can see the remains of withered male flowers from time to time, and the female flowers that are in full bloom are close to the size of half a football, and the small ones are as big as fists. According to the statistics of the management personnel, 14 female Debao cycads have bloomed this year, and the seed harvest is in sight.
Debao cycad male pollen
It is reported that a total of 60 male cycads bloomed in the Debao cycad transplantation area this year, and the management personnel collected a few grams of pollen for the first time, laying the foundation for subsequent research and experiments.
Source: Baise News Network (Reporter Huang Hanru, Zhao Yanni, Tao Hanshan, Army An, text/photo)