COLLEGE STATION — People should be able to stop and smell the roses, not spray them, said Dr. David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research rose breeder in College Station.
Byrne is part of two national specialty crop research projects aimed at toughening up roses’ ability to ward off diseases and other pestilences. He cited surveys in which the gardening public said the No. 1 desired trait is disease resistance.
“And I agree with them. That’s what I prefer,” Byrne said. “I don’t want to spray my roses.”
The first project, called RosBREED II, is a five-year effort by researchers studying a number of major fruit crops and roses. Byrne explained that the internationally loved flower is kin to apples, peaches, pears, strawberries, blackberries and cherries as part of the Rosaceae family.
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