Cistanche is a world endangered protected plant, a parasitic plant in the roots of desert trees, pike, red willow, mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Ningxia and other western regions, because of its high medicinal value, so it is also known as "desert ginseng".
Wei Fayuan said, Haixi State Forestry Technology Promotion Station through the implementation of three years, in the state of Delingha City, Huai Tou Tara and Wulan County, Nankekeke natural pike forests, artificial inoculation of 3400 acres of Cistanchis, "from the effect of inoculation, basically reached the expected purpose, through the acceptance of the State Forestry Administration."
The pike forest that Wei Fayuan referred to is located in the southwest of the Qaidam Basin, which became a national nature reserve in 2013, with a total area of 370,000 hectares, of which the desertified area accounts for about 47{bf}.
"The successful artificial inoculation of Cistanchis in the Shuttle Forest in the Qaidam Basin will not only promote the income of local residents, but also better promote the management of desertification in the Qaidam Basin." Wei Fayuan said that they grafted the Cistanchis at about 80 centimeters from the roots of the pike forests, absorbing and accumulating nutrients through the main roots, and the Cistanchis can be moderately harvested after three to five years, and the unpicked ones will be softened and decayed to become humus to be restored back to the soil, which will have an improved effect on the soil. The loose pits formed after decay are conducive to the renewal and infiltration of precipitation and surface runoff, providing certain water and nutrient conditions for plants, thus improving the wind and sand stabilization effect of desert dwarf plants.
In addition, the economic value of Cistanchis is high, the current market price of Cistanchis in Qinghai is 20 to 30 yuan per kilogram, "moderate harvesting can also increase the income of local residents." Wei Fayuan said.
Yang Hongwen, director of Qinghai Forestry Technology Extension General Station, said, "The Qaidam Basin is one of the areas with the least precipitation in China, and the wild plants growing in these areas are part of the special desert ecosystem, which has important value in nature conservation and biodiversity." Yang Hongwen believes that the success of artificial inoculation of Cistanchis in the Qaidam Basin not only has an important role to play in preventing wind and sand fixation in the western region of Qinghai, and changing the desert landscape, but also has certain practical significance to the protection of the ecological environment of the entire western region of China, and provides technical support for the next step of continuing to promote it in the Qaidam Basin.