The facility consists of two rooms, one of which is a cold storage chamber designed to accommodate around 50,000 tulip bulbs. The chamber is equipped with temperature control mechanisms to ensure optimal storage conditions.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has recently introduced its inaugural tulip growth-cum-storage-chamber facility, known as Tulip House, located in Lodhi Garden. According to officials familiar with the topic, the NDMC has successfully grew tulips using bulbs obtained from the previous year’s cycle.
According to statements made by civic officials, it has been suggested that the bulbs obtained from the harvest can be reproduced under controlled conditions by the manipulation of several factors such as relative humidity, temperature (ranging from 2 to 20 degrees Celsius), light intensity, and exposure to ethylene gas. According to an official from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), a decision has been made to commence research and trials pertaining to the multiplication and production of tulip bulbs in India. The primary objective of this initiative is to encourage the utilization of domestically cultivated bulbs and reduce reliance on imported ones.
According to a senior official from the horticulture wing of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), approximately 54,000 bulbs were collected from the NDMC area subsequent to the blooming of tulips in February-March 2023. Out of this total, 52,000 bulbs were dispatched to a research institute located in Palampur for the purpose of recultivation. The remaining 2,000 bulbs, measuring 8-10cm in size, were stored in a chamber for a duration of three months, after which they underwent additional procedures.
The facility consists of two rooms, one of which is a cold storage chamber designed to accommodate around 50,000 tulip bulbs. The chamber is equipped with temperature control mechanisms that maintain temperatures within the range of 2-20°C. The second chamber is designated as the tulip propagation facility, capable of accommodating around 2,000 bulbs, with the potential to increase its capacity to 4,000 bulbs. This controlled environment maintains a temperature range of 10-22°C, conducive to optimal tulip growth and development.
The concept of promotion is being discussed.
Approximately 2,000 bulbs were collected from the NDMC region subsequent to the blooming of tulips throughout the months of February and March. The specimens were retained within the chamber until the month of July, after which they were subjected to a controlled temperature of 5-6°C for a duration of 10 weeks, concluding in the first week of October. According to the official, the bulbs were subsequently incorporated into the production process by being planted in a growth chamber, with the aim of augmenting their dimensions to a minimum of 10cm.
The NDMC asserted that they attained a survival rate exceeding 70% in their facility, which surpasses the capabilities of their three technologically equipped nurseries. Nevertheless, the dimensions of the flowers derived from recycled bulbs are comparatively diminutive, prompting ongoing efforts by the department to enhance the nutritional content in order to augment the total size of the blooms.
According to the second official, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena emphasized the need to investigate methods for promoting the domestic cultivation and production of tulip saplings during his visits to tulip plantations last winter. This initiative aims to not only decrease import expenses and increase the availability of tulip saplings but also to provide a significant impetus to the local floriculture industry.
The commencement of development activities for the tulip house was initiated by the council in April 2023, following consultations with the LG secretariat, experts from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has established a collaborative arrangement with the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bio-resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) located in Palampur. The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate the transfer of 52,000 harvested bulbs. Additionally, a quantity of 2,000 bulbs has been preserved in Lodhi Garden for the purpose of conducting experimental research. The outcomes of the Palampur institute are still pending.
According to officials, effective management of ethylene exposure, which is known to cause bulb degeneration, is believed to be the primary factor contributing to the notable survival rate.
The initial batch of tulips commenced flowering within the propagation room on November 1st. Given that the objective of the experiment is to obtain bulbs of appropriate dimensions, it will be necessary to engage in the practice of pruning the blossoms. The preliminary findings indicate a favorable outcome. According to the second official, the NDMC has successfully achieved favorable flowering outcomes from the bulbs that were imported last year.
Source- Hindustan times
