Taiwan is establishing a database to compile a comprehensive pool of predicted molecular markers for moth orchids to prevent future variety rights disputes, a local researcher said yesterday.
“Now, with mature technology and a standard operating procedure, we are sure we can establish a 200-variety database by the end of the year,” said Chang Hui-ju (張惠如), an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Seed Improvement and Propagation Station.
There are about 400 moth orchid varieties grown in Taiwan, Chang said.
The Council of Agriculture’s Taichung-based station has been working on the technology for the past three years and it has been in close contact with a counterpart in the Netherlands, Chang said.
All living organisms have genetic molecular markers and such analysis allows plant breeding programs to be more efficient, she said, adding that the station is also planning to apply the technology to other plants.
Orchids are one of Taiwan’s most important agricultural exports. The nations’ flower exports totaled US$194.56 million last year, up 10 percent year-on-year, according to government statistics.
Sales of Oncidium orchids showed the biggest annual increase of 25 percent, reaching US$18.44 million, while sales of moth orchids increased 16 percent to a record high of US$114.12 million last year, the statistics show.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
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