A rose is a rose is a rose. Not anymore - at least, for the floriculture industry. For them, a rose should smell good, must be beautiful and everlasting.
However, the hunt for the perfect rose is still on. In fact, the rose-dominated, cut flower industry today is confronted by a peculiar dilemma: fragrance vs vase life.
Till now researchers were not able to unravel the mystery. Either you have a sweet smelling rose that wilts within a couple of days, or the long limbed beauty that lasts for days but is devoid of fragrance.
During the Flora Expo 2006, India's President A P J Abdul Kalam threw the gauntlet at researchers in the flower business. He told them anyone attempting to develop a rose that have both an extended vase life and sweet smell would have three hectares in the sprawling grounds of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the experiment. Till now, no one has responded.
According to researchers, the culprit is the ethylene gas that is emitted by the flower, which speeds up the ageing -
in fruits this is the ripening process.
So addressing the issue is to switch off the gene that senses the presence of ethylene and consequently slow down ageing.
While the business of lulling genes into complacency might still be some time away, a very good way to start is to enhance the vase life of cut roses.
The chemical silver thio sulphate added to water is a good life enhancer, but several developed countries have banned the product as environmentally polluting.
A couple of companies - Moerhein of Holland and Germini of India - are set to launch products with similar end use at the forthcoming Flora Expo 07 in September. So till the rose gene is decoded, chemical boosters will have to do the trick.
A French company - Meilland - recently unveiled Amelia, a brand new rose variety. But not the perfect one with fragrance, beauty and long life.