PULWAMA: CSIR Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine has successfully initiated the cultivation of different Tulip varieties at its Field Station Bonera, in South Kashmir's Pulwama district under CSIR Floriculture Mission.

The cultivation of the highly valued ornamental crop marks a significant achievement as it is the first time that CSIR IIIM Jammu's Field Station in Bonera has undertaken the trial basis cultivation of multiple Tulip cultivars.

Under the initiative, eight distinct varieties of Tulips are enchantingly blooming in the sprawling Field Station, adorning the landscape with their vibrant hues. The initiative aims to develop and standardize agro-technologies for mass-producing quality tulip bulbs in open field conditions, leveraging the favorable agro-climatic conditions of the Kashmir valley to enhance income generation for farmers through cut flower as well as bulb production for sustainable production of planting material thus empowering farmers for import substitution.

Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director CSIR IIIM Jammu, who inaugurated the opening of the tulip experimental field said that under CSIR Floriculture Mission, the Institute has been hand holding farmers, self help groups, florists, nursery growers and agri-entrepreneurs for production, value addition and trade of the different cut, loose and ornamental crop cultivars for alleviating their economic status and overall development of the remunerative agrarian sector. Since the launch of the Mission in 2020 more than 2000 farmers across different districts of UT of J&K have been benefited through various verticals of the Mission, he said.

In a significant development for the promotion of the sector, we at our Field Station Pulwama have initiated the cultivation of various Tulip varieties under the Mission as part of our research endeavour for sustainable quality planting material production to reduce dependency on imported bulbs by exploring the feasibility of growing Tulips locally and identifying suitable locations for indigenous bulb production.

Generation of the indigenous planting material on a large scale will enable for its extensive cultivation by the farmers that would ultimately lead to their prosperity through enhanced income and livelihood generation. We are trying to develop protocols for production of the crop varieties that can be grown for a prolonged period and in different agro-climatic conditions. he added.

Dr. Shahid Rasool, Nodal Scientist, CSIR Floriculture Mission informed that the activities under the Mission embarks upon enhancing the area under the cultivation and scientific production of cut and loose flowers in Jammu and Kashmir, ultimately benefiting farmers and stakeholders associated with the floriculture industry.

The Tulips are not being commercially grown by the farmers in the region and are presently being imported from Holland and the Institute under CSIR Floriculture Mission has initiated the experimental cultivation aimed to explore the feasibility of growing Tulips locally and to identify environmentally suitable locations for indigenous bulb production, he said, adding that the main focus of CSIR IIIM Jammu is on research and technology development and it's transfer to farmers.

He highlighted that the favourable climatic and soil conditions of Kashmir Valley make the region suitable for Tulip cultivation and offers huge economic opportunities and establishing the region as a center for high-quality flower production.

He further added that the large-scale generation of indigenous planting material will empower farmers to extensively cultivate it, thereby boosting their income and livelihood opportunities. By utilizing high-quality planting material and adhering to standardized cultivation methods, farmers can increase their yield of these much in demand premium flowers as cut flowers.

Additionally, employing techniques like polyhouse cultivation with controlled temperature conditions, including bulb forcing and programming, will enable the off-season production of Tulip cut flowers, meeting the heightened market demand during peak occasions across the country.