This story is from March 14, 2020

Prayagraj student’s perennial jasmine promises 365-day income for farmers

Prayagraj student’s perennial jasmine promises 365-day income for farmers
Chandra Shekhar has grown a fairly new variety of jasmine in the city’s near-zero winter temperatures
Prayagraj: An MSc student of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) in Naini seems to have turned the tables on the weather god. Chandra Shekhar has grown a fairly new variety of jasmine — a largely tropical plant that thrives in hot, humid conditions — in the city’s near-zero winter temperatures.
The star jasmine, as it is called, was developed by scientists at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in 2019 and was meant to be a perennial variety that could be grown in every season in the southern state, where it is extensively used in temple rituals.

But, Tamil Nadu has an average minimum temperature of 21°C in December-January, which the plant can well handle. Prayagraj, on the other hand, sees a winter low of 3°C. The star jasmine was not expected to survive this bone-numbing cold until Chandra Shekhar used his ingenious technology to grow the plant in “controlled conditions”. Also, his tireless research revealed that the soil in Prayagraj is favourable.
“Winter temperatures in this Sangam City is drastically different from places in Tamil Nadu, which has tropical climate. After 10 months of trial and error, we were able to harvest the flowers in extreme winter, besides peak monsoon,” the student said, hoping his expertise would be a game-changer for flower farmers given the high demand of the fragrant jasmine that is also used to make essential oil for a wide range of cosmetic products.
Chandra Shekhar’s ‘all-season star jasmine’ boasts a long stem and bold buds with a pink tinge. The buds bloom into a white star-shaped flower with usually 10 petals that are leaner and longer. The flowers are mildly fragrant and the leaves dark green and glossy.
SS Saravanan, associate professor of horticulture at SHUATS, was Chandra Shekhar’s guide in the project. He agreed that longer life span and shelf life of the star jasmine promised farmers round-the-year income.
“The all-season star jasmine can certainly change the destiny of flower growers here and revolutionise the agriculture sector. It can replace the common jasmine because it is more affordable,” Saravanan said.
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