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Key genes in orchids determined
By Su Meng-chuan
and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer
National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) researchers have discovered certain genes in orchids that can be used to manipulate flower hue, prolong the flowering period and prevent wilting, which could reduce the time needed to produce new orchid varieties from seven years to two months.
There are more than 28,000 varieties of orchids, making them one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants, NCHU vice president and Graduate Institute of Biotechnology professor Yang Chang-hsien (楊長賢) said on Wednesday.
The popularity of orchids lies in their flowers, which are defined by a symmetrical perianth the non-reproductive elements of the flower separated by a distinct petal called the lip or labellum that attracts insects, he said.
Homecoming
Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te, front row second left, Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang, front row fourth right, and other guests attend a news conference at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung yesterday to celebrate the repatriation of more than 1,400 works by Taiwanese artist Hung Jui-lin. Hung’s family have donated the paintings to the Ministry of Culture. The artist’s eldest son, Hung Chun-hsiung, right on the screen, took part in the event over videoconference.
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‘Chaotic’ local meat ordinances voided
‘NO MORE MESS’: Minister Without Portfolio Lo Ping-cheng said that the nation must have unified food safety standards so that producers can comply with the regulations
By Lee Hsin-fang, Lo Chi and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Local government ordinances banning meat products containing traces of ractopamine are nullified from today, while new rules are to be rejected, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, calling them unconstitutional and “chaotic.”
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that the government would from today lift a ban on the importation of pork containing traces of ractopamine and beef from cattle more than 30 months old from the US, 17 local governments have passed autonomous ordinances requiring all pork to be certified as ractopamine-free.