The long-lasting Valentine's gift: Scientists make roses stay fresh for a month by injecting them with a CELERY gene
Scientists have come to aid of Valentine’s Day gift buyers by injecting roses with a gene from celery which could make them last up to a month after being picked.
The experts say the breakthrough will help roses fight diseases like petal blight which shortens their ‘vase life’.
Researchers at North Carolina State University in the U.S. found that the celery gene helps roses combat botrytis or petal blight, a major disease which hits roses after they have been picked.
Valentine's breakthrough: Scientists have injected roses with a gene from celery which could make them last up to a month after being picked
Some fungal pathogens that infect plants produce a sugar alcohol called mannitol that interferes with the plant’s ability to block disease like petal blight, which produces wilty, mushy petals - an effect similar to what happens to lettuce when it’s been in a refrigerator too long.
In an effort to make roses live longer and to give Valentine’s Day gift buyers more value from their flowers, horticultural scientists Dr John Dole and Dr John Williamson lead an effort to insert a gene called mannitol dehydrogenase from celery to allow the plant to defend itself from one of its greatest threats.
The celery gene helps roses combat botrytis or petal blight, a major disease which hits roses after they have been picked
Dr Williamson said: 'This gene is naturally found in many plants, but it’s uncertain whether the rose already has it. If it does, it doesn’t produce enough enzyme to help the plant fight against petal blight.'
The genetically modified roses currently growing in test beds look and smell like normal roses. They are currently being tested to see how much better they are able to fight off petal blight.
The researchers say their ultimate goal is to get roses to survive for three to four weeks after they have been harvested.
With many roses sold in florists and supermarkets coming from abroad, shipping times can reduce their vase life after they are bought.
The research is part of a wider effort to make a better rose, said Dr Dole.
Other research includes examining the types of sugars best suited to mix with water to keep the plants thriving after they have been picked and preventing other plant diseases.
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