A Rose Without Thorns

Name: Markandey Singh
Place: IHBT in Palanpur, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Record title: A rose without thorns

A rose without thorns is like love without heartbreak’ goes the adage but it makes great commercial sense. So a team of scientists led by Markandey Singh of the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in Palanpur, Himachal Pradesh, has developed the country’s first thornless rose called Himalayan Wonder. Deep red purple in colour, the rose is a cultivar of First Red, one of the mostly widely sold varieties in the world. Its nearest rival is the Grand Gala developed by the Netherlands. However IHBT director, PS Ahuja, maintains that the Himalayan Wonder is superior to the Gala in many respects — it has a sturdier steam, no leaves close to the flower and a shelf life of seven days. The five years of research has established that it does not revert to its thorny state and continues to be erect and long lasting. Himalayan Wonder is growing profusely in the Institutes polyhouse. It is currently grown at a height of 4,200 feet and Ahuja is hoping it will retain its colour and characteristic when grown at lower elevations.