The journey of "reviving" the fiery rose of Sa Dec.

The fiery red rose has been closely associated with Sa Dec Flower Village in Dong Thap province. After many years of cultivation, this "symbol of the flower village" is facing the risk of extinction due to degeneration. In response to this situation, the province has proactively collaborated with scientists to launch a campaign to "preserve the flame" of the flower village's identity using advanced technology.

Many new rose varieties, hybridized from the fiery red roses of Sa Dec Flower Village, were introduced by the Southern Fruit Tree Institute at the workshop "Introducing New Rose Varieties and Technical Procedures".

Preserving the soul of the flower village.

The fiery red rose variety was once the "soul" that made Sa Dec flower village (the flower capital of the Southwestern region of Vietnam) unique. Over a long period of traditional propagation, the plant has gradually revealed many weaknesses: reduced growth, increased susceptibility to disease, thin petals, and poor color retention. This degeneration not only threatens the livelihoods of farmers but also diminishes the brand value of the entire flower region.

To preserve and improve the quality of native varieties, the Department of Science and Technology of Dong Thap province has proactively coordinated with the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI) and Tan Quy Dong Ornamental Flower Cooperative to implement the key project "Improving the Fire Rose and Tiger Chrysanthemum varieties suitable for Sa Dec Flower Village, 2023-2025".

Dr. Le Nguyen Lan Thanh, project leader of "Improving the Fire Rose and Tiger Chrysanthemum varieties suitable for Sa Dec Flower Village, 2023-2025," stated: The goal of the research is to restore and improve the native Fire Rose variety, helping the plant adapt better to the climate and soil conditions of Sa Dec, while meeting the needs of the domestic and export markets.

The research was conducted using various advanced scientific methods, such as natural selection, sexual hybridization, and gamma radiation. After the selection process, the research team obtained several promising new rose varieties with many outstanding characteristics: strong stems, thick petals, beautiful flower form, and diverse colors ranging from deep red, orange-red, pink to the traditional bright red, reflecting the distinctive features of the Sa Dec fiery rose.

Previously, rose farmers mainly propagated roses using traditional grafting methods, resulting in uneven plants that were prone to disease. Through research, scientists have applied tissue culture technology. This technique helps produce a large number of disease-free seedlings with uniform growth, meeting the needs of large-scale production.

Roses grown in greenhouses are protected from pests and diseases caused by weather conditions.

Dr. Le Nguyen Lan Thanh said: "After selecting and creating flower varieties with many superior characteristics, we proceeded to propagate them using tissue culture methods in the laboratory, and then transferred them to farmers for trial cultivation in greenhouses."

Once the plants are established, farmers continue to propagate them by grafting, a familiar practice in Sa Dec Flower Village. Thus, there is a natural blend between modern technology and traditional experience.”

Sa Dec farmers are highly skilled, so they quickly adopt new techniques. They only need to become familiar with controlling temperature and light inside the greenhouses to operate them effectively.

Master Nguyen Van Son

In a 250m² greenhouse, a demonstration model of 1,000 rose pots was built with 5 different varieties, including 4 newly hybridized fiery red roses and 1 traditional fiery red rose as a control. Initial results show that the percentage of marketable flowers reached 83-86%, significantly higher than the control variety. The roses developed uniformly, had bright colors, and bloomed for a longer period.

According to Master's degree holder Nguyen Van Son, secretary of the project "Improving the Fire Rose and Tiger Chrysanthemum varieties suitable for Sa Dec Flower Village, 2023-2025," "The good news is that the improved rose care process is not too different from the old varieties. Sa Dec farmers are highly skilled, so they quickly adopt the new techniques. They only need to become more familiar with controlling temperature and light in the greenhouse to operate effectively."

Mr. Tran Thanh Khang, one of the households that has been involved with the research group since the early days of implementing the project "Improving the Fire Rose variety in Sa Dec Flower Village," shared: "The new variety has beautiful colors, large flowers, thick petals, and is less susceptible to pests and diseases. Importantly, this variety is protected by domestic copyright, so we can plant it with peace of mind, without worrying about copyright issues with imported varieties."

Opening up new avenues for the flower industry.

The close collaboration between the Southern Fruit Research Institute, the Center for Applied Research and Scientific-Technological Services, local authorities, and farmers has created an exemplary cooperation model, demonstrating the spirit of the "four stakeholders" in agricultural innovation. Scientists do not stand aside from practice, but directly accompany, transfer technology, and guide farmers on standard procedures.

The fiery red rose is a symbol of Sa Dec and a source of pride for the people of this flower-growing village. Over time, this precious flower variety has degraded due to cultivation, making improvement, selection, and restoration essential. This is a concrete step for Dong Thap to affirm its agricultural development direction based on science and technology.

Mr. Tran Van Nhan

According to Mr. Tran Van Nhan, Deputy Director of the Center for Applied Research and Science-Technology Services, Department of Science and Technology of Dong Thap province, this project not only has scientific value but also special significance in terms of culture and economics.

“The fiery rose is a symbol of Sa Dec, the pride of the people of the flower village. Over a long period of cultivation, this precious flower variety has degenerated, so improvement, selection, and restoration are essential. This is a concrete step for Dong Thap to affirm its direction of agricultural development based on science and technology,” Mr. Nhan affirmed.

Currently, the Center for Applied Research and Science-Technology Services is continuing to support the expansion of breeding using tissue culture technology, ensuring a supply of disease-free seedlings for farmers in Sa Dec in the future. In addition, the province aims to encourage the development of high-tech flower growing areas, linked to green transformation and sustainable development.

Successful breeding of new rose varieties has been achieved through tissue culture, a method that allows for large-scale propagation with uniform quality and disease-free plants.

The successful breeding of improved fire rose varieties not only contributes to preserving the identity of the flower village but also opens up new directions for the value chain of the ornamental flower industry in Dong Thap. From seed selection to cultivation techniques, from greenhouse models to brand building, everything is synchronously linked, creating a solid foundation for large-scale production and aiming for export.

In particular, the project has contributed to improving farmers' access to technology, helping them shift their production mindset from "following experience" to "following technical procedures." Along with that, cooperatives and local authorities also benefit from having additional scientific data to plan policies for the development of the ornamental flower industry in a more systematic way.

Beyond its economic benefits, the project "Improving the varieties of fiery red roses and tiger chrysanthemums suitable for Sa Dec Flower Village, 2023-2025" also affirms a clear message: science and technology are becoming the "golden key" to help Dong Thap overcome bottlenecks in agriculture, especially in specialized sectors like ornamental flowers.

HUU NGHIA - H.NAM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hanh-trinh-hoi-sinh-giong-hoa-hong-lua-sa-dec-post921822.html