Scientists develop new cole flower colours

Beijing  :   After four years of research, Jiangxi Agricultural University in China has developed cole flowers in 17 colours to help tourism in the province.

In this spring season, flower tours have attracted crowds of tourists to rural areas, especially in Jiangxi, which is famous for its cole flowers, reports Xinhua.

"The sea of cole flowers is a signature of Jiangxi but tourism has been long restricted by the limited colours of the flower," Fu Donghui, who heads the research, was quoted as saying.

Fu started working on cole flowers in 2002. In 2017, he cultivated four new colours, including purple and crimson, based on 13 other colours. 

Nine of the 17 colours that have been created are stable and for large scale planting, Fu said.

Fu has also helped prolong the flowering phase for 10 days.

"One day of extra flowering can bring in an extra 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) of revenue for Wuyuan," Fu said.

Compared to regular cole flowers, the new types look better and contain more anthocyanin -- a type of blue, violet, or red pigment, according to Fu.

But the flowers can only be grown once or twice a year and it takes four to five years before a new colour is ready for large-scale growth.