Abstract:

The Kam (Dong people) fragrant glutinous rice is a group of sticky rice varieties, which have been widely cultivated in Dong areas with great success. Revealing the history and status of the diversity of Kam fragrant glutinous rice is helpful for the timely identification of conservation strategies and implementation plans for preserving these germplasm resources, with respect to the economic development and traditional culture in Dong ethnic areas. The authors and their collaborators carried out research on germplasm diversity of Kam fragrant glutinous rice in Dong areas of Guizhou for 12 years using multiple approaches including ethnobotany, cultural anthropology, and ecology. Results showed that Kam fragrant glutinous rice has been widely grown in the Dong areas for many years. From the beginning of the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty to the foundation of New China, the Dong areas of Guizhou have suffered three large-scale movements transforming glutinous rice into non-glutinous rice, which resulted in greatly reduced plantation areas of Kam fragrant glutinous rice and the number of landraces. At present, there are about 100 glutinous rice landraces in Congjiang, Liping, and Rongjiang counties, a decrease of 72.5% as compared to the 363 landraces investigated in the early 1980s. Even in the Dong villages such as Huanggang and Gaoqian where the Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces have been maintained carefully, their plantation areas and landrace numbers have been reduced by more than 50%, and this trend is becoming more and more evident. The expansion of hybrid rice over a large scale has greatly influenced the reduction of local landraces. Especially in recent years, the rapid development and transition of social, economic, and cultural aspects of the Dong communities have threatened the Kam fragrant glutinous rice landraces, which are quickly disappearing. The maintenance of the diversity of varieties of Kam fragrant glutinous rice was closely related to the production, life, and traditional culture of the Dong people. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt strategies and measures suitable for the development of the economy and traditional culture for the conservation of these plants in Dong ethnic areas.

Key words: landraces, Dong people, glutinous rice, changing trend, agrobiodiversity