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World's First Blue Roses On Display in Japan |
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Sunday, 02 November 2008 |
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Australian and Japanese researchers have demonstrated the
application of RNAi technology for gene replacement in plants,
developing the world's only blue rose.
They are the stuff of legend - signifying mystery and traditionally believed to be able to grant the owner youth.
The creation of blue flowers - historically viewed as a symbol of
the impossible - was masterminded by a subsidiary of Suntory, the
Japanese drinks company, which has invested three billion yen in the
creation of blue roses, blue carnations and other blue flowers since
1990.
Its scientists successfully pioneered implanting into the
flowers the gene that produces Delphinidin, the primary plant pigment
that produces a blue hue but is not found naturally in roses.
The
world's first genetically modified blue roses were unveiled in the
laboratory four years ago, although further research was required to
make them safe to grow in nature.
Following the cultivation of
test batches in the United States and America, the company will be
ready to sell them from next year and aims to open up a global market
for blue flowers worth an estimated 30 billion yen.
"This is the first time that these blue roses have been put on
display in public," said Megumi Mitsunaga, a spokeswoman for IFEX.
"They are attracting lots of attention here because they are so unusual."
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