Artificial induction and cultivation of medicinal plants Cistanche deserticola Y.C. Ma and Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) R．Wigh in China Yongqing Ma (1Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Northwest A&F University, Shaanxi Province, China) 【Introduction】 Cistanche deserticola (abbreviated as CD) is an annual plant, parasitically grown on Haloxylon ammodendron (abbreviated as HA) roots, which is distributed in Middle and Central Asia Mongolia and China. It is grows in sandy deserts, on sand dunes and it was recognized as a potential plant for prevent desertification in China. CD and HA were already listed as at risk of extinction. CD is dug in spring when its seedling still does not or just comes up out of the earth. Following removal of the inflorescence, it is cut into segments and dried in the sun, which is termed as “sweet CD”. Those collected in autumn are soaked in salt water, and termed as “salty CD”. After getting rid of salt, they are sliced, dried in the sun or steamed with water and dried in air. CD stem is a rejuvenating kidney tonic, helping to support and enhance function of the kidneys. It is useful when kidney function is weak (as in cases of water retention) or in cases where the function of the kidneys is not balanced by the function of other organs (as in urinary incontinence). CD is also useful for impotence in men, and result in increased sexual ability rather than increased sex drive. The annual production of CD has been on the order of 450 to 550 tons in China, and world trade volumes (mostly exports to Hong Kong and Japan) have been about 120 tons per year. The biggest problem contributing to the decline in CD populations may not be over-collection or improper collection, but rather the loss of its host plants. C. tubulosa (CT) is another annual plant, which was recognized in the year of 2005 to have same medicinal affect as CD, parasitically grown on Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb (TR) roots. TR is a hardy shrub or small tree native to Europe and Asia. Its hardiness and tolerance for poor soil make it a popular, easy to grow and normally used as re-greening plant in salinized soil. Parasitism by CD on TR could make useless soil into medicinal plant production land. 【Material and Methods】 CD and CT seeds were artificially induced and the treated seeds were cultivated to surface of HA and TR roots, respectively. The way for a preparative development of the CD and CT as well as its host cultivation is to organizing the researcher and the related company together to start the artificial plantation of both plants. One of the ideas is to start a host plant with already attached CD plant and then transplanted to the environment of natural occurring host plant. Our research group have conducted this cultivation since 1996. 【Results and Discussion】Our results indicated that CD seed germination could be artificially induced and the germinated CD and CT seeds could initiatively parasitized on its host plant，and secondary haustorium originated after adhesion between the primary haustorium and young roots of the host and CD can be a parasite anywhere in young roots (0．1 mm) of a host (Song et al., 2008). Experimental results also indicated that the parasitizing of CD decreased the drought resistance and inhibited the growth of H. ammodendron (Li et al., 2009). Tomari et al. (2003) sowed the seeds of CD near the root of planted host plant H. ammodendron in Nagoya, Japan. The flowers of CD were observed in the 2nd and 3rd spring after sowing. The main user of CD in Japan is YOMEISHU SEIZO CO.,LTD and it is one of the medicinal plant used in Yomeishu. 【References】 Tomari, N., Ishizuka, Y., Moriya, A.et al. 2003. Natural Medicines 57(6):215–220. Song Y.X., Ma Y.Q., Niu D.L. et al. Chinese Bulletin of Botany 2008,25(6):680—686. Li X, Ma Y.Q., Song Y.X. et al. Journal of Northwest Forestry University 2009,24(3):20-23.