The Lucknow-based National Institute of Botanical Sciences (NBRI) has recently joined hands with the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri district to focus on flower cultivation. An MoU has been signed between the two entities, enabling NBRI Lucknow to undertake a plantation drive within the temple premises.

This endeavor is crucial as temples often require a steady supply of flowers for rituals and offerings, which the current resources often fail to meet. Therefore, NBRI's efforts will concentrate on cultivating high-quality genotype plants on the temple grounds to address this shortfall.

Before this, the temple authorities had attempted independent flower cultivation endeavours but encountered challenges due to a lack of expertise. Subsequently, the temple trust has allocated 13 acres of land specifically for flower cultivation, which will now be managed by NBRI Lucknow as part of their collaborative efforts.

Experts from NBRI will focus on cultivating superior genotypes of flower-bearing plants like Gandhraj, Jasmine, Lotus, Marigold and various fragrant species. Additionally, they will provide guidance to temple workers on techniques for cultivating aromatic plants and achieving optimal blooming in flowering plants.

Reportedly, CSIR-NBRI has a track record of collaborating with several other esteemed temples across India on similar initiatives.