A Conference to be Held for Investment on Tissue Cultured Rosa damascena

In July 2015 in Milad Tower in Tehran, a conference will be held for the investment on tissue cultured  Rosa damascena and National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, will offer its intellectual support in this regard.

According to a report by public relation center of Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, the scientific secretary of this conference, Dr. Iraj Rastegar, explained, “Despite Iran’s several  thousand years of history in the field of Rosa damascena cultivation, unfortunately the most expensive and most valuable of its export and trading products, such as rose concrete, absolute rose essential oil and essential oil by super-critical extraction, are not gained, meanwhile the cultivation, harvest and even the transportation of Rosa damascena is far from the international standards.”

He referred to Turkey and Bulgaria as countries which each only have two thousand hectares of Rosa damascena whereas Iran alone, has twenty thousand hectares of lands under the cultivation of Rosa damascena. However, the only production in Iran is rose water.

Rastegar added, “So far, none of the centers in Iran, has made any products from Rosa damascena other than rose water, while some of the products of Rosa damascena are among world’s most expensive products, so much so that one kg of Rosa damascena absolute essential oil is sold at 50 million toman in international markets and it is known as “Liquid Gold”.

He went on to say, ” For propagation of Rosa damascene, the suckering  method is still used in Iran. A method which has been obsolete in the world and causes the soil diseases to be transmitted from one area to another. As for the method of Rosa damascena tissue culture, Rastegar Biotechnology center is the first in Iran that has carried it out and we are at the top rank in the region in this respect.”

Referring to the Rosa damascena tissue culture, this researcher said, “With this technique, one million plants can be propagated with a single cell in a laboratory. In this way, the plants will grow with the same genetic properties, whereas in suckering method, short or tall plants, normal or really productive ones are grown, each with different properties.”

According to Dr. Rastegar, another issue regarding Rosa damascena apart from the cultivation, is the harvesting and transportation method, he then explained, “The method used in Iran, for harvesting and transportation of Rosa damascena is wrong. In some cases, it has been seen that the flowers are harvested at around 10 in the morning then put in plastic bags and transported by a truck.”

“This method reduces the essential oil, in a way that if one tries to touch a bag containing these Rosa damascenas, they might be burnt from the heat caused by the essential oils.” He explained.

Considering the above mentioned, he pointed out the aim of this conference, which is intellectually supported by National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine of Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, as follows,”It seems that the main reasons for holding the conference in addition to scientific issues is establishing relations between different active sectors in the field of Rosa damascena. Aligned with the responses to these needs, the Biotechnology Center of Dr. Rastegar wishes to hold a conference on Rosa damascena investment in Milad Tower of Tehran, July 2015.”

The secretary of Biotechnology Center, who is responsible for holding the conference, said, “The opportunities for investing in the cultivation of Rosa damascena tissue culture which is resistance to water shortage in marginal lands and propagation in large quantities, are among the topics that will be addressed in the conference.”

Some of the opportunities that will be brought up in the conference, he said, will be, the export of Rosa damascena and medicinal plants, ornamental flowers, pome or stone fruits rootstocks and presentation of a protocol for propagation of Rosa damascena tissue culture and its production under the license of Rastegar Biotechnology Center.

According to the scientific secretary of this investment conference on tissue cultured Rosa damascena, other investment opportunities set forth by this conference are as follows; the establishment of centers and laboratories for Rosa damascena tissue culture, and its production in the laboratories with the guidance and counseling of Rastegar Biotechnology Center.