The China Oil Plant Species (COPS) Database: A Comprehensive Web-Based Database and Informatics System Providing Ecological and Chemical Traits of Oil Plants in China Zhenxiang He, Shidong Shi, Yumian Hu1, Liangbo Zhang2,*, Jie Fu3,* School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing-210093, China 1Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada 2Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha-410004, China 3Environmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL- 36839, United States *Corresponding author Email: jzf0017@auburn.edu, 40952257@qq.com
Online published on 9 January, 2014. Abstract The China Oil Plant Species (COPS) database is the first to provide comprehensive and systematic web-based classification, search and selection under given criteria of oil plants distributed in China, covering 1409 different species belonging to 139 families in total. The web-based database is constructed on the basis of experimental data and related information from authoritative books and academic journals, using ASP as execution environment with 7 different functions, including data input, multiple searching, statistics, etc. Users of the platform can conveniently acquire abundant information on ecological and biochemical traits of oil plants in China, including basic category, classification, florescence and maturity period, geographical distribution, elevation, climate and terrain of growth, oil content, fatty acid composition and content, besides the related statistical data. The database will be of great value in studying the present situation of utilization of oil plants and the future exploitation of new species adapted in given environment in China. Top Keywords Oil plants, vegetable oil, database, ASP, oil content, fatty acid content. Top |