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5. Cultivar Improvement and Industrial Development

As one of Chinese traditional famous flowers, the tree peony influences the world a lot. And its industrial development is imperative under the situation. Cultivar improvement or new cultivar selection and breeding are still the base and core of tree peony industry and its continuable development. Only to breed or create new cultivars with high value in use continuously as well as master corresponding assorted techniques, could we hold the preponderant situation in tree peony industry development process.

5.1 Chinese Tree Peony's Brief Breeding History and Its Development Trend

5.1.1 The Development Process of Chinese Tree Peony's Breeding

Various cultivars of Chinese tree peony are produced under the long period of artificial evolution, and they are now in the evolutionary process. Charles Robert, English naturalist, once generalized three main factors of the evolution (including natural evolution and artificial evolution) to mutation, heredity and selection in his magnum opus On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859). Modern Darwinism enriched the evolutionism and generalized the basal factors to mutation, gene recombination, isolation and selection. The development process of Chinese tree peony confirmed the viewpoint above.

The breeding of Chinese tree peony had centuries-old history and a resplendent past. Its development process can be generally divided in to several phases as follows.

Wild Species' Introduction, Domestication and Selection Phase

Wild species' introduction and domestication is the earliest method of cultivar selection breeding which began before the Sui and Tang Dynasty. Wild species produced mutation quickly because of artificial introduction and growth as well as ecological environment's improvement. The ancient people selected the types which fitted people' s demands and then propagated them by division. Xu W. once recorded in Mu Dan Fu that "Tree peony existed in sequestered places in hills and the hometown of the goddess primarily, then they were required to move into the palace and joined in palace trees". That was the on-the-spot character record of introducing and domesticating wild tree peony species.

The Bud Mutation Selection Phase

This phase mainly began in Bei Song Dynasty. In this phase, in addition to using the introduction and domestication of wild species, it began to adopt the bud mutation and selection methods that fixing the mutation by graft. The bud mutations were not only flower color mutation but flower form mutation. The former such as 'Qianxi Fei', is a double red flowered cultivar." That came from Qianxi Temple in Longmen Mountain of Luoyang at once, the flowers color were purple but there were red ones among them accidentally, they were no more than one or two and in the next year red flowers appeared in another branch. So people in Luoyang called them turn-branch flower."(Ou Y.X.' s Luo Yang Mu Dan Ji). The later such as ' Yao Huang' which bud mutation recorded by Zhang BJ. in Chen Zhou Mu Dan Ji: "In the spring of 1112, a farmer family surnamed Niu had one branch of flower, whose color was yellowy like the gosling' s feather and whose diameter was ca. 43.3 - 46.7 cm, and ca. 33.3 cm high. Its tender petals overlapped together, and a flower had hundreds of petals. They were essentially ' Yao Huang'. Here, chose the branch with bud mutation and grafted then formed a new cultivar.

The Chance Seedling Selection (Naturally Pollinated Seedling Selection) Phase

In addition to keeping on the two methods above, a new method came out in this time. They used naturally pollinated seeds, selected plants from seedlings and bred new cultivars. Such method began in Bei Song Dynasty and widely spread in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. And it is even popular in many areas now. Tree peony belongs to entomophilous, xenogamy plants. The heterogeneous heredity trait as well as mutation extension could be enhanced through natural hybridization. And after seeding, the chance that acquiring the excellent cultivars increased. In the Ming Dynasty (about A.D. 1573), Yuan H.D. wrote Zhang Yuan Kan Mu Dan Ji, recorded and described that profoundly. Yuan H.D. said that "Once, the garden owner saw the seeds of flowers, he collected

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and grew them. In the second year, the buds began to thrive and in the fifth year they began to bloom. After some years, they turned into various flowers, namely some were crown form in single petals type; some were usual at the begin and became gorgeous finally; and there were also some didn't bloom any more, such branches needed to be cut"So we can see the fact that ancient people selected cultivars from seedlings after sowing in a large number, using the mutation caused by sexual propagation process (including the natural intervarietal crossing). And during that process, the predecessors could notice the phenomenon that the seedling' s excellent traits could be developed and fixed gradually yearly. The method, regulating plant's growth and development by changing the cultivation measures, is much more praiseworthy.

Results of seedling selection were recorded in each dynasty' s antho-graphies. The earliest record was seen in Zhou S.H.' s Luo Yang Mu Dan Ji in Bei Song Dynasty. After Zhou introducing the traits of ' Weihua', he pointed that "In recent years, two cultivars 'Shengwei'and 'Dusheng' came out. 'Shengwei' is like 'Weihua' (double petals, pinkish flower color) but the flower color is slightly deeper than that of 'Weihua'; 'Dusheng' is similar to 'Weihua' but its flower diameter is smaller, and leaves take on slightly mauve, we conjectured this cultivar all come from the mutants of ' Weihua'. When the flower color is red, the offspring become ' Shengwei'; in the case of purple flowered, the offspring become ' Dusheng'." When it comes to the Song Dynasty, it was recorded in Lu Y.' s Tian Peng Mu Dan Pu (1178) that: "Shaoxing Chun', the offspring of 'Xiangyun'. The flower color is light and the number of petals is more, the largest flower's diameter is about 33.3 cm."Xue F. X. in the Ming Dynasty wrote in his Bo Zhou Mu Dan Shi (1613): ' Zui Yuhuan' grown by Fang X.R. is the offspring of ' Zui Yangfei'. Their basal flower color is white, and disturbed by lilac, light red, light blue, these colored stripe crossed together like be embroidered. Their female parent ' Zui Yangfei' was purple. Xin Zeng Sang Li Yuan Mu Dan Pu in Heze of the Qing Dynasty (Zhao S.X.' handwritten copy, 1911) recorded that: 'Danzao Liujin'was the offspring of ' Zhang Hua An'; ' Chunhong Liibo' was the offspring of ' Chunhong'; ' Zhong Sheng Hei' was the offspring of ' Yanlong Zi'; ' Hei Hua Kui' was the offspring of ' Zhong Sheng Hei', ' Zhao Fen' was the offspring of ' Singling Zhao Hongshi' and so on.

The Artificial Pollination Selection Phase

Besides those three methods above, gardeners did artificial pollination to breed new cultivars. This work did not widely develop until the foundation of the People's Republic of China. For example, in 1956, Yu H. did the research on the tree peony' s intervarietal crossing with flower farmers at Heze. At first, they sowed natural fertilized seeds for more than 1,000 m², and got 5,375 seedlings. These seedlings bloomed in 1961, then they chose 504 excellent plants; and in 1963, they did the selection again and got 360 plants. In 1985, experts of Chinese Society for Horticultural Science (CSHS) presided the new cultivars' evaluation and identification, and chose 42 new cultivars such as ' Yingri Hong' through public appraisal.

During that time, directional cross breeding was taken up. Heze Zhao Lou tree peony garden selected ' Guanshi Moyu' from F1 generation of 'Yanlong Zi' and 'Zhong Sheng Hei'; the Palace Museum in Beijing selected some new cultivars such as ' Furong Diancui', ' Binghan Ziyu' from the F, generation of directional cross breeding. In recent years, Zhao H.E and Sun J. Y. et al. (2000) reported 4 new cultivars' breeding and their crossing combination in Bai Hua Garden in Heze. For example,' Liimu Yinyu' (' Jiaorong Sanbian' x ' Bai Yu'), ' Qinglong Zhenbao' (' Qinglong Womo chi x Zi Erqiao'), 'Si Pin Hong'('Dan Lu Yan' x 'Wengong Hong'), ' Mochi Zhenghui' (' Hei Hua Kui x ' Zi Erqiao') and so on. These cultivars were authorized in 1981, and had been popularized since 1983. Some units chose 'Feng Dan' as female parents, and took mixed pollens of Zhongyuan tree peonies as pollen parents, then selected a series of multi-flowers type from F, generation, which made it improved in the view and admiration value of the cultivars of "Feng Dan" series.

The Distant Hybridization Combining with New Technique Breeding Phase

This period has proceeded no more than ten years. So far a great number of wild and cultivated germ plasm resources have been collected, distant hybridization and "wild breeding" have been developed widely. Many places like Lanzhou, Beijing, Luoyang have taken up this work.

5.1.2 Development Trends of Tree Peony's New Cultivars Breeding in China

Actualities and Trends

During recent twenty years, Chinese tree peony's cultivar improvement work has made certain success. In which, for example, the investigation, collection and study of germ plasm resources, the collection and introduction of internal and international good cultivars, and the wide selection on new cultivars have made important success. These provided scientific support to industrial development of tree peony. Chinese Zhongyuan tree peony culti-var-group has some good new cultivars such as 'Xiangyu', ' Tingting Yuli', ' Guanshi Moyu', ' Zhong Sheng Hong', these ones share common excellent characters, for example, strong growth potential, blooming easily, high ornamental value, high stress-resistant capacity, which made them receive widely welcome on the international market. Next, the characteristic cultivars of Xibei tree peony cultivar-group selected by the Yuzhong Peace Peony Garden of Gansu played an important part in internal and international market. Gansu Forestry Science and Technology Extension Center cooperated with the Yuzhong Peace Peony Garden in building the nursery garden of wild peony' s germ plasm resources of China, and Luoyang National Tree Peony Garden (Guo Se Tree Peony Garden before) built a germ plasm resources nursery garden of tree peony, both of the nursery gardens have worked a lot in the tree peony' s breeding. Otherwise on the whole, seen from development trends and market demands from home and abroad, the tree peony' s breeding in China still has a considerable limitation. As seriously lack of scientific research, the whole breeding work has not been well programmed and developed blindly, as well as the lack of basal and applied study associated with the tree peony breeding, the whole breeding work has not achieved great breakthrough.

The worldwide flower industry is in the ascendant. In which, the horticultural plant breeding contributes a lot, puts up following characters:

—Breeding targets combining closely with the development

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of production and the progress of science and technology as well as demands of market competition;

—Attaching importance to germplasm resources' collection, evaluation, exploitation and application;

—Regarding the breeding application basal study and breeding approaches;

—Adding the national support to new cultivars breeding;

—Developing more subjects cooperating synthetical breeding (Jing S.X. 2001). That is the choice faced by the tree peony breeders of China henceforth.

The tree peony industry' s development of China as well as internal and international market demands not only require us to enhance the cultivar improvement process, increase the breeding efficiency, pay attention to breed new fancy cultivars, but also need improving culture technique comprehensively to increase the product's quality. That is the important and formidable assignment faced by Chinese tree peony breeders after it enters new century.

Some Key Parts in the Process of the Cultivar's Improvement

Breeding approaches are key parts in the cultivar's improvement.

The tree peony breeding should fit market economy development' s demands forwardly. During the whole breeding process, all things should be operated according to market economy' s demands and economy rules, for example, from the breeding objects' selection, breeding targets' decision to the whole breeding programs' arrangement and implementation.

The Further Definitude of Breeding Direction and Targets Breeding direction and targets' definitude is first important part of the cultivar's improvement. The breeding direction includes two aspects, namely adding the ornamental value and the production application value. The ornamental value includes works such as the flower color's enrichment, the flower form and plant shape's diversification, owning color, fragrance and shape, bud viewing and leaf viewing characteristic cultivars' selection and so on. Although those pure yellow, red, purple, deep purple and excellent complex color cultivars can be partly introduced from abroad, in the long-term consideration, we should attach importance to this kind of work. Seeing from the industrialization, some cultivars' selection, such as cut flower cultivars, some fit for forcing culture and subminiature pot culture cultivars, is still our urgent affairs. Cultivars fit for retardation culture and their relevant technique should become the key points in the study of the forcing culture cultivars.

Collecting Relevant Germplasm Resources According to Given Breeding Targets The realization of some breeding targets needs relevant germplasm resources as the base. And there are many successful examples in other horticulture plants breeding. For example stunt breeding needs to collect existing dwarfish wild species or their infraspecific taxa and dwarfish existing cultivars; another example is the twice blooming cultivar, that needs to collect existing cultivars that bloom in fall easily and introduce Japanese 'Kan Botan' and so forth, variedly.

Attaching Importance to the Distant Hybridization, Improving Breeding Technique and Efficiency Anciently, the breeding mainly proceeded in cultivar-group, even those with multi-origin such as Zhongyuan tree peony cultivar-groups. The reiterative crossing causes the intervarietal genetic distance is rather close,

and the chance of bringing special variation becomes little. Therefore, distant hybridization should be taken up widely to induce new more variations.

Although there are over thousand of existing cultivars, those excellent ones are the minority and the majority is common ones. In the selection process of new cultivars, directional breeding should be intensified, and the breeding technique (such as using radiation breeding, space breeding and so forth) should be improved continuously, besides we also need to enhance the selection intensity of re-selection and terminal selection.

Attaching Importance to Cultivar Registration, Authorization and Protection The cultivar' s registration, authorization and protection are continuance of the tree peony' s breeding, and they are also important parts of new cultivars that are on stream or facing the market. In which the cultivar registration is publicity of the breeding production, the cultivar authorization is the identification of various traits of new cultivars, and the cultivar protection is the protection of breeders' rights. Such three points respectively restrict and protect new cultivars and their breeders through the academic, administerial and juristic aspects. Next, we will only make brief introduction about the cultivar registration and protection.

• Cultivars Registration

Cultivars, as a kind of live materials, are significant to horticultural plant production. To make sure the cultivar appellation is undivided and current, International Society for Horticulture Science (ISHS) and Commission for Nomenclature and Registration, which is affiliated to ISHS, set up cultivar registration systems of various cultivated plants, at the same time two organizations are in charge of approbation of some kinds of authority (International Registration Authority, IRA for short). Flower cultivars not only have the characteristics of region, nationality and fashion, but they are diffusely cosmopolitan. So it is vary important to ensure that the cultivar appellation is undivided and current. Moreover the cultivar registration rights represent international authority in such plant's improvement and classification. The peony's international registration right was got by the American Peony Society.

The function of cultivar registration:

------To breeders, once the cultivar is registered, which means

it was published formally, the new bred cultivar and its traits description are recognized by breeding organization and academia;

------To breeding organization, the annals (communique) of cultivar registration is the basal information of the cultivar studying (for example, the origin, history, traits etc.), and also the precondition of new cultivar's breeding of relative breeders;

—The international registration authority promulgates all of the cultivars and cultivar-groups catalogues which are well recognized and legally trade in the world.

In order to do well in Chinese tree peony cultivar registration, the Peony Association of China (PAC) widely investigated the tree peony cultivars nationwide from the year 1992 to 1996, and set up the Chinese Peony Cultivars Register Committee (CPCRC) in the forth annual conference (Lanzhou annual conference) in 1996, at the same time, promulgated Chinese Peony Cultivars Authorization and Registration Methods.

In this time, cultivar nomenclature is still the problem noticed carefully. Nomenclature of new cultivar should follow the international rules of horticultural plants' nomenclature, so that, appellations can express the outstanding traits and vivid visualize of new

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Figure 5-1 The tree peonies of Heze as far as the eye can see

cultivar. Five points about new cultivars' uniform nomenclature given by Yu H. (1980) are still instructional. These points are:

—They are popular and couth, with poetry and implication, affording for thought, inducing peoples's imagining;

—Take 2-3 characters as principle, the maximum is no more than 5 characters;

—Avoid using homophone or those elusive characters; —Can express the outstanding trait and vivid visualize'of new cultivar;

—Avoid emerging feudal consciousness.

Furthermore, we should avoid adopting political language or sign when we denominate new cultivars, and pay attention to avoiding repeat appellations in ancient tree peony anthography. In Detailed Lmplementary Rules of New Plant Cultivars Protection Ordinance (Forestry part), some concrete requirements to new cultivars nomenclature were mentioned, which need to be followed.

• Cultivars Protection

Plant cultivars protection is also called "The right of plant breeders", which is a kind of intelligent property rights conferred to new plant cultivars' breeders, who have the right to monopolize these cultivars. China has put in force New Plant Cultivars Protection Ordinance of the People 's Republic of China since October 1^st, 1997. Later then, detailed implementary rules were constituted. According to the work division, State Forestry Administration is in chare of each kind of new cultivars of woody plants'protection including woody ornamental plants.

The essential purpose of protection system of new plant cultivars is to encourage cultivating and using new plant cultivars for improving the product' s development. Once a new cultivar is protected by the government, actually its famous degree and "status" are enhanced. Otherwise implementing the protection system of new plant cultivars is propitious to build equitable, fair

competition mechanism in order to further inspirit breeders to devote to the innovative activities of new plant cultivars breeding.

To the tree peony' s breeders, comprehending the main content of the national new plant cultivars protection system, especially the conditions of conferring the new plant cultivar right, is very necessary. That can redound to our further confirmation of breeding direction and targets, as well as taking correct measures to protect their own legal right after obtaining new cultivars. Based on relational items in Detailed Implementary Rules of New Plant Cultivars Protection Ordinance (Forestry part), to apply for being conferring the cultivar protection right, new cultivars must have following basal conditions:

------Should have novelty, difference, coherence and stability;

------Should have proper appellation and can be distinguished

with that of known cultivars in the same or close plant genus or species.

New cultivars protection office of State Forestry Administration authorized the first passel of the tree peony' s new cultivars protection catalogue in April in 2001, and awarded new plant cultivar right certificates. The term of the cultivar protection right is 20 years.

5.2 The Cultivar Improvement, Industrialization and Development

5.2.1 The Actuality and Prospect of Tree Peony's Industrialization and Development

The Actuality of Tree Peony's Industrialization and Development

Since 1978, Chinese tree peony' s commercial production has

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Figure 5-2 Heze international tree peony festival

entered a new period, formed three main support industries gradually, such as seedlings, medicinal materials production and touring combining with flower enjoying activities. That has following characters:

The Production Scale Enlarged Rapidly, and the Benefit was Enhanced Dramatically At present, Heze, one of the tree peony' s planting areas, has been over 3,000 hm². (1999), is the largest peony producing area in the world (Fig.5-1). The annual selling of seedlings is over 2 million, exported to America, Canada, Japan, Holland, France, Germany and so forth, which make foreign exchange for about 7 million yuan every year. In Luoyang, the tree peony' s planting area was approximately 1,000 hm². (2003), they also had a number of exports. In Tongling of Anhui, the planting scale for officinal tree peony had enlarged, and the output of Dan Pi (root cortex) is 1,2001 every year. Medicinal materials production in Bozhou of Anhui has reached sizeable scale, and the annual production value was approximately 140 million yuan (2001).

Flower Festival with the Tree Peony Show as the Motif Combines Closely with Touring, Business, Science and Technology and Culture Activities Since 1983, Luoyang of Henan has held the tree peony festival during the florescence in April every year, which has been renamed as Luoyang Peony Festival of Henan Province since 1990. It had been held for 20 times till 2002. This peony festival has become a large-scale international activity, syncretizing flower appreciation, lamp viewing, touring, business, science and technology, culture as a whole, which has become the stage for showing the tree peony culture and the significant window for accelerating the opening to the outside and economic development of Luoyang and even the whole Henan. Until the year 2000, the total bargain of all kinds of business had been 24 billion yuan, in which the foreign bankroll took up a half. Heze of Shandong also has the good tradition of holding the peony festival. The fist Heze

international tree peony festival was held in April, 1992, until the year 2000, it has been held for 9 times(Fig.5-2). In the anterior seven times of the peony festival, they took in total 12 million tourists (person-time) from home and abroad, the total bargain of business reached 15.8 billion yuan. Besides, the peony festival in other places such as Pengzhou of Sichuan has certain scale and bargain quanta too.

The Tree Peony Products Began to Develop Towards Multi-modal In each place, people improved the traditional product's quality, and at the same time, they paid attention to exploit new application area of the tree peony and develop new products using the tree peony' s culture attribute adequately(Fig.5-3,5-4,5-5). For example, Heze took the tree peony "trump" as the far-famed brand to develop seedling and forest/fruit industry, and exploited new approaches for regulating the country industry structure. For example, alcohol products named after Mudan (tree peony) have about 100 million production value every year. And there were more than ten kinds of playing cards with the subject matter of Mudan, the annual production value of which is counted by millions. Besides, painting and calligraphy, photography, wood-carving craftworks about the tree peony have added abundant content to people's spiritual life (Shi W.L. 2003).

The Problems and Strategies of Tree Peony's Industrialization and Development

As king of flower, the tree peony influences people widely both at home and abroad. Either the germplasm resources or the culture area and quantity are all first in the world. However, seen from the industrialization and development, tree peony production is far away from modern horticulture production. Especially based on the struggling aim, which is having independent intelligent property right, certain technique developing and products improv-

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Figure 5-3 Suzhou embroidery with peafowl and the tree peony design

Figure 5-4 Colorized porcelain "Tree peony and god dragon drawing "of the Ming Dynasty

Figure 5-5 The cloisonne vase decorated with peafowl and the tree peony design

ing ability, making well-known trademarks in the world, we should afford hard effort more necessarily. At present, we must do well in following works:

Using Existing Cultivar Resources Adequately and Implementing Products ' Systematization and Multi-modal Abundant cultivar resources are the base and precondition of the industrialization and development. Existing cultivar resources at home and abroad have two traits. One is the flower color, form and posture are relatively abundant; the other is that their adaptable range is rather extensive. Except extremely cold and hot areas, the tree peony can be cultivated in many countries around the world. As distant hybridization cultivars, bred using P. delavayi and P. lutea, have late and long florescence, and there is certain differences among cultivar-groups. So if it be matched appropriately and assisted with other necessary measures, the tree peony's total flowering time can be as long as 45 days (Cheng F.Y. 2002). Under the forcing cultivation, the tree peony can bloom in each season. The main goal at present is that we should further do well in products' Systematization and multi-modal.

Enhancing the Level of Science and Technology and the Cultivation Technique The level of science and technology development as well as its support intensity is the significant base

of the tree peony industrialization and development. As the modern horticulture equipment' s development, such as greenhouse, cold storage house and so forth, and the wide application of plant growth regulators, the tree peony production management technique developed a lot in the past 20 years both at home and abroad. The merchandise production form, in which the seedling production is in the chief position while pot flower and other products are secondary, had formed primarily. But the tree peony's rapid propagation technique has not made significant break yet, and the retarding cultivation techniques which fit the situation of China should be further consummated. These are the important subjects that urgently to be solved in the industrialization and development process. Besides products Systematization and the large-scale production, a series of problems such as production normalizing, scientific management, all-year supply and so on, should be solved well.

Exploiting New Application Fields Continually, Implementing the Integrative Exploitation Firstly, as a kind of resource, the tree peony should be exploited synthetically in the industrialization and development process. This exploitation, in addition to the production of seedlings, pot flowers and cut flowers, includes other products' exploitation associated with the tree peony, which

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Figure5-6 The Song Dynasty: Zhao C. 's Sui Chao Tu (Annual pilgrimage picture)

Figure5-7 The Five Dynasties (A.D.907-960): Xu, Xu 's Yu Tang Fu Gui Tu (Riches and honour picture)

Figure5-8 The cloth picture of the Qing Dynasty: Xi Zang Tang Ka (Tibet Thangka)

Figure5-9 The stone inscription of the Qing Dynasty: Ping An Fu Gui (Safety, riches and honour)

can form an industry chain gradually.

According to the analysis results to the biochemical components in the flowers and seeds, the tree peony has a wide foreground in the integrative exploitation. Existing pharmacological experiments suggested that the tree peony flowers are innocuous, and the petals having high nutrition value; and it is a kind of very nutrient food resource. According to the analysis data, the naturally dried petals of Heze tree peony have 10.1% of protein, 3.78% fat, both contents of which are higher than dehydrated esculent fern and dehydrated Chinese cabbages. Total content of amino acid composing the protein is 8.1%. In the inorganic elements, the contents of K, Mg, Fe, P, Se are higher than dehydrated esculent fern and dehydrated Chinese cabbages. Besides,

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Figure 5-5 The Divine Land Tree Peony Garden in Luoyang

there are abundant natural fragrance components in volatile oils of tree peony flowers (such as citronellol, geraniol, linalool and so on), as well as terpene and aromatic hydrocarbons. These natural compounds can be used as natural additive in food, drink and chemical commodity products (Liu J.H. and Dong F.Y. et al. 1999). Heze City Alcohol Factory in Shandong Province tried out the fragrance components extraction techniques and other correlative techniques, using the tree peony flowers and many kinds of fruits as materials, and produced new high quality drink alcohol with the tree peony fragrance and many nutritive components (Li H. et al. 1996). In Anhui Tongling ' Feng Dan' s seeds and flowers, 18 kinds of amino acid' s content is 13.2% and 14.3% respectively; and there are abundant inorganic elements such as F, Si, Sr, Mn, Se, Fe, Cu, Zn etc. (Chen Q. 1985). Lanzhou Peace Peony Garden entrusted the chemical components analysis to the seeds and pollens of P.rockii respectively to Lanzhou University and Gansu Grassland Ecology Institute. The results suggested that pollens contain 18 kinds of amino acid, whose total content takes up 29.7% of the solid matters. Their seeds contain 17.50% crude protein, 33.27%

crude fat and Vc 16.92 mg/lOOg. In seeds, total content of 18 kinds of amino acid takes up 16.99% of the solid matters, in which 8 kinds are necessary to human; and there are 20 kinds of inorganic elements, most of which are necessary to human. The seed setting (%) is high. Their seeds are plump. The weight of embryo and endosperm is about 2/3 of that of the seed. The main component of embryo and endosperm is tree peony oil, in which 45% is linoleic acid, which is dramatically efficacious to reducing the body's cholesterol, preventing hypertension, apoplexy and heart diseases. The innocuous tree peony oil can be used as hygienical edible oil for confecting high quality salad oil, butterine and also be used as industry material for producing glycerin and soap etc. According to the evaluation, the output of seeds in every 667 m² dry land on hill is 100 kg, on shady hillsides is 175 kg, and in irrigative lands is 250 kg, which is over the ordinary oil crop' s output (Chen D.Z. 2003). Besides, correlative study showed that the stems, branches, leaves, fruits of P. rockii contain abundant paeonol and paeoniflorin, and there is plenty of gallic acid in leaves, all of which are important medicinal compounds.

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Secondly, besides the tree peony itself, the tree peony culture is a kind of resource, and it is a kind of very significant resource (Fig.5-6,5-7,5-8,5-9). Allied culture and economy, or to say the exploitation of the tree peony culture resource redounds to build the social atmosphere to which the tree peony' s development is adaptive, so that it can become the important momentum of the tree peony' s industrialization and development. The tree peony culture is one part of essential and hardcore flower cultures of China, and it is the important vector of Chinese civilization. "King of Flower", the tree peony, represents the own effulgence and refulgence of China, its wide promulgation both at home and abroad actually is the broad spread of Chinese civilization, in this point, with which other flowers could not compare.

Attaching Importance to the Exploitation and Fostering of Both Internal and International Consumption Markets of the Tree Peony —International Markets. The tree peony's international markets are mainly European and American markets at present. The tree peony was introduced into Occident from China at the end of 18^th century, after experienced the development for more than a century long, it was recognized and interested by people. Although botanists of France and America bred hundreds of new cultivars, which represented the highest level and accomplishment nowadays, using the distant hybridization of P. delavayi and P. lutea with cultivars derived from P. suffruticosa introduced from China, the production scale is comparatively small. Two million tree peony seedlings are required in European and American markets annually which were basically imported from Japan. Since 1978, the Chinese tree peony export has enlarged gradually, and there are some companies dealing in tree peony specially who have set up the brand of "chinese tree peony". On the whole, European and American markets are the main markets for which China and Japan compete (Cheng F.Y. 2002). Japan is a big tree peony production country following China, whose production scale is far away from China (seedlings annual output is about 3 million), but they have advanced production technique and high commercial level. As early as before the World War n , Japan had exploited European and American markets, and till today, their products are still leading merchandises on international markets. However, as the lack of germplasm resources in Japan, and the higher production cost, as well as other factors such as the gradual reception of Chinese tree peony culture by international society, Japanese tree peony industry feels the competitive press from Chinese tree peony more and more intensively. Now Japan is taking relevant actions in order to maintain the preponderant status in later competitions.

To exploit international markets, on the one hand we should study and understand European and American markets further, and master hobbies and requirements of different nations in different countries in order to select the tree peony cultivars which can meet and adapt different requirement; on the other hand we also need to study and understand demands from international Chinese society to exploit the products that can meet them.

—Internal Markets. The recent decade's investigation showed that the tree peony has grown at each place around China except Hainan. China itself is a broad market, when exploit internal markets further we should master flowering points:

First, the tree peony' s development should proceed in several aspects. Seedlings production should be developed simultaneously as well as pot flowers and cut flowers production, at the same time, which should be combined with touring and many application approaches such as medical use, hygienical product's exploitation.

Second, the tree peony' s development should be combined closely with the tree peony culture' s development. Chinese tree peony culture is of long standing, plentiful and intensive, within which there is huge spiritual fortune of Chinese people. Their distingue temperament dignitary-unfearing sentiment, well-off times symbol, as well as the close connection with the festive culture, all of which are loved by the masses. Praise the tree peony culture, lead people to appreciate the tree peony flower correctly, at the same time, we should make the growth and management knowledge popularization in order to make the tree peony flower enter millions of families, which would be deep masses base of promoting the tree peony industrialization and development.

5.2.2 Cultivar Development Strategies and Tree Peony's Industrialization and Development

Seeing from the whole situation of Chinese tree peony's development, we can find that each place should have correct cultivars development strategies, consider them and arrange from the following several aspects:

Exerting the Predominance of Existing Cultivar Resources Adequately

Using the predominance of existing cultivar resources, especially some characteristic cultivars, forming products series according to international and internal markets' demands and forming large-scale production, can enhance the competition ability. Chinese Zhongyuan tree peony and Xibei tree peony have over one thousand cultivars, types of which are various, and whose fitting places are broad, so urgent affairs is to select a passel of characteristic cultivars from which as characteristic merchandise to export to international markets. Meanwhile, we should enhance the introduction intensity, and introduce some cultivars that are lack of in our country and proper to industrialization from abroad selectively. That is a very economic and high efficient work. And introducing new cultivars bred via distant hybridization from America and Europe is available.

Making Great Efforts to Quicken the Breeding Process

It is the essential way of the tree peony industry' s continuable development that we should put the tree peony breeding to the significant status and recognize the selection of the characteristic cultivars. Our country's abundant tree peony germplasm resources have rather considerable exploitation potential, and foreign tree peony cultivars have good genes available. These have been explained in Chapter 1 and 2 of this book. In breeding process, we should notice there is aesthetic difference between China and other countries such as Japan and each European and American country, and realize the demand for multidimensional production, select toward multiple targets. We should not only breed cultivars loved by Chinese people but also follow the consumption tide to breed cultivars that are greatly scarce on international markets. Only to make great breakthrough in the new cultivars selection and breeding work continually could we maintain the leading status in the tree peony industry.

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Enhancing Cultivars' Biological Traits and the Study of Correlative Cultivation Techniques

The study to the cultivar traits and correlative cultivation techniques is feeble at present. Only to master each cultivar, especially new cultivar's demands for various environment conditions, adaptive ability and planting characters, can make each kind of cultivars adequately exertion. It is significant that we make the study of the resistance capability of tree peony cultivars, especially the comparative appraisal to adaptation difference under extreme conditions. In summer of 1957, Heze was suffered from the flood. The tree peony fields suffered submergence for a long time, the tree peony were affected a lot. After that, by investigating, Yu H. etal. (1963) classified the tree peony cultivars by the humid tolerance degree in summer into three groups:

—The cultivars tolerant of high temperature and humidity. For example, ' Hu Hong', ' Xiao Hu Hong', ' Zhusha Lei', ' Lan tianYu', 'Zhuangyuan Hong', 'Yanzhi Hong', 'ZiYunXian', ' Dan Lu Yan', ' Sheng Dan Lu', Pomo Zi', Taohong Xian mei', ' Yinfen Jinlin', ' Kunshan Yeguang' and so forth;

—The cultivars at a certain tolerant extent of high temperature and humidity. For example, 'Zhao Fen', 'Zi Erqiao', 'Zhong Sheng Hong', ' Zhong Sheng Hei', ' Wang Hong', ' Xiao Wei Zi', 'Bangning Zi', 'Zi Chonglou', 'Zhao Zi', 'Da Zong Zi', 'DouZhu', 'BaiHuaDu', ' Yao Chi Chun', ' Meiren Mian', ' Qingshan Guanxue', ' Jinzhang Furong', ' Jiaorong Sanbian', ' Yipin Zhuyi' and so on;

—The cultivars no tolerant of high temperature and humidity. For example, 'BaiYu', 'Yao Huang', 'MoKui', 'GejinZi', ' Yanlong Zi', 'Mo Sa Jin'efc. In recent years, Lin X.M. and Chen G.Q. et al. (1997) measured the resistance to atmosphere fluorin pollution of different tree peony cultivars, confirmed 128 cultivars'resistance index to fluorin pollution. In which the number of cultivars whose resistance index is over 90% is 44, and between 73% - 88% is 44 too. In these, there are cultivars whose resistance index is 100%, that is ' Yaochi Lanyue', ' Qie Pi Zi', 'Zhusha Lei'. However, the resistance index of following 7 cultivars, namely ' Dou Zhu', ' Zhao Zi', ' Shanhua Lanman', 'Wengong Hong', ' Caozhou Hong', ' Danzao Liujin', ' Xiaoai Zi', is 20.0% - 25.2%, they are not suitable for growing in the places with certain fluorin pollution.

Consummating Tree Peony Cultivar Appraising System

The relationship between the cultivar quantity and quality is dialectical, and the quantity predominance does not equal to quality predominance.

Mu Dan District of Heze organized the tree peony cultivars general investigation in the spring of 2000. The investigation showed that the total of tree peony cultivars is 1035 (including partial introduced cultivars), and there were 548 cultivars (strains) had not been denominated formally (Zhang M.C. and Peng W.D. et al. 2001). What a tremendous data! In the spring of 2002, Heze came out with a passel of characteristic forcing culture cultivars, such as 'Mingxing', 'Guanshi Moyu', on the Chinese Tree Peony Exhibition held in Shunde of Guangdong, all of which received praise. We can find the potential predominance of Heze tree peony from that. However, to clear up and appraise existing cultivar resources is a kind of fairly particular, fussy and significant work. After Chen D.M. et al. (1992) bringing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) into the tree peony cultivar appraisement and setting up the tree peony cultivar appraisement system, Zhang Z.Y. and Chen S.G. et al. (1996) of Henan Agricultural University did the research on methods of tree peony cultivar resource's appraisement. They chose 330 tree peony cultivars of Luoyang as research materials, and took their 9 main characters (such as flower form, flower color, flowering time, flower diameter, flower fragrance, flower shape, growth potential, plant types, branching ability) as research items (below which there were 33 class headings, constructing items and class heading reaction table), built mathematic models and computer programs and got the integrated grade of each cultivar based on the experts marking system and germplasm resources' quantificational appraisement. They compartmentalized them into 4 grades using variance analysis, in which, 16 cultivars belong to grade A (excellent), 51 ones are grade B (good), 231 cultivars are grade C (general), and 32 cultivars are grade D (bad). Thereby, they solved the quantificational appraisement problems of tree peony cultivar resources comparatively scientifically. Although this appraisement method needs to be perfected further, the appraisement results made us think deeply. In 330 tree peony cultivars of Luoyang, the excellent is only 4.8%, the good is 15.5%, but the general is 70%. Furthermore, there is still big distance (18 points) between the highest points (82) and the full points (100).

Condignly emphasized, the cultivars should serve the commercial production's requirements under market economy conditions. As important production material, cultivars should have a certain amount, but whose cultivars quality should be attach more importance to. Each tree peony producing area should be disentangled from the false notion of pursuing the cultivar quantity unilaterally, and adopt the guideline which regards both the quantity and the quality. Only in this way can the tree peony' s industrialization develop healthily.

next: 6. Xibei Cultivar Group