A rose lures a nose

Gulzar Akhtar of Pakistan is doing an study for his doctoral degree for six months under the mentorship of Dr. David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research rose breeder. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips)

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Fragrance. That and the potential to boost his country’s economy are what brought a student halfway around the world to learn about horticulture at Texas A&M University.

Roses, it turns out, are as popular in Pakistan as in the U.S., albeit for slightly different reasons. And those reasons are what has Pakistani Gulzar Akhtar searching for answers for the next six months under the mentorship of Dr. David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research rose breeder.

“Roses are used in ceremonies and at various functions. Mostly, roses in Pakistan have been grown for their oil, which is used in many products, and those appeal to me,” Akhtar said.

“The oil, which is extracted from petals, is precious and valuable around the world,” he said. “It is used in many products from creams to eye drops. And the dried petals are used in home décor.”

Therein is the difference: Pakistani roses stem mostly from the Rosa centifolia which are high in fragrant, extractable oil content; U.S. roses have varying amounts of fragrance but not used commercially for oil.

But in Pakistan roses only blossom a couple of months during the year, whereas some rose varieties in the U.S. can bloom continuously as long as it is warm enough.

Developing rose varieties with both traits – producing fragrant oil and year-round blossoms – could be beneficial to both countries, Akhtar and Byrne agree.

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