Azaleas, known as the "Yingshanhong" flower after a hit song in 1970s, bloom in the Jinggangshan region in eastern Jiangxi province in early spring, between February and March. The flowering period originally lasted for just over a month. But today you can see the red flowers in full bloom even during scorching July, thanks to Jinggangshan University (JGSU) researchers who spent 13 years developing a technology that makes azaleas bloom throughout the year.
Breaking the sleeping spell
In 2011, Hu Xuehua, a senior experimentalist at the JGSU, began to work on "making azaleas bloom in winter and summer." The first challenge was to identify the factors affecting the flowering season. Azaleas prefer a cool environment and become dormant when temperatures rise above 30°C. Under natural conditions, they break dormancy during low winter temperatures.
The team initially tried using cold storage facilities to simulate winter conditions. However, they could advance the flowering period by only about a month.
"It was still too short," Hu told Science and Technology Daily. After extensive exploration, the team discovered that azaleas are very light-sensitive. Excessive sunlight can wither and kill them. This led Hu to propose a new idea: changing the time the flowers bloom by controlling their exposure to light.
Finding the best formula
The JGSU's biological park flower control room has rows of hanging lights. "By adjusting the number of lights, changing the height of the light source and other methods, we make the light intensity change at different times of the day," Hu said.
Creating suitable growth regulators was another significant experiment, as even a small increase or decrease can significantly impact flowers. After several years of testing, the researchers created a new growth regulator formula. "One to two months before the bloom of flowers, we estimate the flowering period based on the maturity of the buds and decide whether to speed up or delay the progress," senior experimenter Li Xiaohong said.
Additionally, the team used temperature adjustment measures and pruning to precisely regulate the flowering period. In October 2018, they finally found the optimal formula combining light, temperature, regulator concentration, and physiological and biochemical factors.
Blooming red fortune
"With the formula, you can make azaleas bloom anytime and anywhere," Hu said.
The university has patented its technology both internationally and domestically.
"In 2022, the JGSU began to cooperate with our county," said Li Ping, head of the azalea planting professional cooperative in Shuicha, a town in Taihe county in Jiangxi.
Over the past two years, the technology has enabled villagers to breed 50,000 seedlings annually, supporting over 200 young people who returned from outside the town and tried their hand at starting businesses. This has generated an overall output value of more than 15 million RMB, benefiting over 2,000 people.