论干旱地区甘草资源的保护与利用

DISCUSSION ON PROTECTIVE UTILIZATION OF THE LICORICE IN ARID AREA OF CHINA

甘草以其特有的深根耐旱的生物学特性分布于我国北纬40°左右的干旱半干旱地区,主要集中分布在新疆、甘肃、宁夏、内蒙等半干旱草原与荒漠地区,自古以来,甘草“根茎入药、性平、味甘能和百药”,是重要的中药药材。如今,甘草的根、茎、叶、种子分别广泛应用于医药、食品、轻工、冶金、畜牧各业。对农业来说,它既是珍贵的野生中药植物资源,又是羊只过冬的优质饲草资源,具有一定改善土地沙化的作用。

Licorice, distributed in the arid and semiarid area about 40 N latitude of China, ischaracterizedby deep root and drought endurance. It is widespreadly applied to medicine,foodstuff, light industry, metallurgy, animal husbandry and so on. It is also important forarid area environment because of the improvement of desertification. Licorice resource utilization can help the people in arid area free form poverty. On theother hand, irrational utilization will destroy the environment and land them inpauperization. Considerition must be given both to making use of licorice resource and toenvironmental protection. In order to gain sustainable benefits from licorice resource. thefollowing countmeasures must be taken: (1) Three changes in concept: the first is that simple economic mentality change toecologic economic sense; the second is that the idea that the wild licorice can carelessly beextored change to that the resource is precious and should be enjoyed togather; the third isto attach importance to both collecting wild licorice and cultivating the medical plant in-stead of emphasizing field uprooting. (2) To meet the licorice market demand and get rich, artificial licorice should bevigorously developed. (3) Licorice should be deeply processed and comprehensively used to obtain more eco-nomic benefits. (4) Series management system incliding production, harvest, purchase and processshould be built to arouse every's enthusiasm. (5) The regulations concerning grassland management must be rapidly worked out toprotect resources according to law.