6th July 2014

Scientists prevent aging... in flowers

"Morning Glory" (pictured below) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants, noted for their short-lived blooms that normally unfold in the morning and wither by nightfall. A team of scientists at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organisation near Tokyo have reportedly slowed the aging process in one particular Japanese variety of this flower. Their breakthrough could allow bouquets to remain fresh for much longer.

In the study – carried out jointly with Kagoshima University in southern Japan – a gene named "EPHEMERAL1" was suppressed. This resulted in the lifespan of each flower almost doubling, from 13 hours to 24 hours. The finding could lead to developing methods to extend the life of cut flowers.

Kenichi Shibuya, one of the lead researchers, told AFP by telephone: "We have concluded that the gene is linked to petal aging. It would be unrealistic to modify genes of all kinds of flowers – but we can look for other ways to suppress the (target) gene... such as making cut flowers absorb a solution that prevents the gene from becoming active."

A similar breakthrough in plant aging was made by German researchers in January 2013. That study identified a "genetic switch" able to maintain a youthful state in tobacco plants.

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