Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Feb 15: Winter-blooming tulips, reprogrammed to flower nearly three months ahead of their natural season, have emerged as the centre piece of the 11th AgriTech Mela at SKUAST-K, drawing widespread attention from visitors and experts alike.
The development marks the first successful attempt in India to induce locally grown tulip bulbs into off-season flowering, a breakthrough officials described as a major advancement in floriculture research in the country.
Currently on display at the university campus, the vibrant flowers have left visitors in awe, with crowds gathering to admire and photograph the rare winter spectacle.
Tulips in Kashmir typically bloom in March and April. However, through scientific reprogramming under carefully controlled conditions, researchers brought the flowers to bloom in December and January.
Officials described the achievement as a significant breakthrough in tulip bulb programming in the country.
Excelsior has been told that the experiment, termed “tulip flower forcing,” was undertaken by the Division of Floriculture and Landscaping in collaboration with Dr Imtiyaz Tahir Nazki and a PhD scholar from Tamil Nadu, Beulah.
The work had been in progress for nearly a year, officials said.
“It normally blooms in March and April. Through scientific reprogramming, scientists have brought it to the flowering stage three months before its natural season,” they said.
Officials explained that tulip flower forcing involves inducing the plant to bloom in the off-season by maintaining strict control over temperature, lighting and nutrient levels.
Experts said the aim was to tap into high-demand occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas and New Year, when flowers fetch premium prices.
They noted that off-season production could provide farmers with an additional source of income and open new commercial opportunities.
Beulah began the experiment in September last year. A batch of bulbs was brought out in December and successfully bloomed on the eve of Christmas.
“Fertilizers were provided and other parameters were maintained under controlled conditions. The experiment went well,” officials said, adding that precise temperature and lighting management were crucial to the experiment’s success.
While tulip programming technology was originally developed in Holland, officials said this was the first time in India that locally grown tulip bulbs had been successfully induced to flower early.
The initial phase involved 1,500 bulbs, with infrastructure support provided under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), enabling flowering well ahead of the conventional season.
University authorities said the innovation would now be scaled up, with reprogrammed bulbs to be supplied to different parts of the country, particularly southern states.
Visitors at the mela expressed surprise and delight at seeing tulips in full bloom during winter.
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