Roses with sanitary certification and INTA technology reach the market

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Iceberg, Europeana, Jubilé du Prince de Monaco, Charles Aznavour, Papa Meilland, Rouge Meilland, Mr. Lincoln, and Cristóbal Colón

With the aim of offering products distinguished by their aesthetic vigor, adaptability, and longevity, INTA San Pedro and the Chamber of Nursery Growers will launch 2,000 virus-free roses onto the market. This initiative ensures the distribution of disease-free genetic material through protocols that guarantee the phytosanitary standard of each plant.

In the San Pedro district, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, fruit and vegetable production and nursery operations generate 86.7% of rural employment, making improved standards crucial for sustaining the local economy. For this reason, INTA has been working for years on protocols to systematize production, promote crop propagation, and maintain sanitary quality.

Laura Hansen, director of the INTA San Pedro Agricultural Experiment Station, explained that the rose bushes that will be released to the market offer distinctive characteristics. “These specimens have guaranteed longevity because, being free of the main viruses that affect rose bushes, their lifespan is significantly longer,” she stated, adding that “they also have a greater capacity to respond after transplanting and, in addition, exhibit healthy growth and superior flowering.”

The rose bushes that will be available for sale are varietal-identified. Included in the national catalog of cultivars, they are specimens whose characteristics are well-known. “While it is common to recognize them by their color, a cultivar has many additional characteristics that differentiate it,” she stated, “this work allows all the information to be included in the catalog developed by INTA” she stated.

To ensure users have access to reliable information, each rose has a special label: a yellow tag that includes a photo of the rose and a QR code. This code redirects to the rose catalog on the Nursery Growers Association’s website, providing details on all aspects of the cultivar, beyond just its color.

Varieties selected for their demand
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Although the batch of mother plants at the experimental station has around 90 varieties that have tested negative for the four viruses that usually attack rose bushes, for this joint launch with the Chamber, those with the greatest public appeal were selected.

“It was decided to cultivate only a few varieties to facilitate organization, given that these are varieties with high market demand,” Hansen stated. Among the available varieties are: Iceberg, Europeana, Jubilé du Prince de Monaco, Charles Aznavour, Papa Meilland, Rouge Meilland, Mr. Lincoln, and Cristóbal Colón.

Protocol for the production of roses
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This quality standard is based on a rigorous four-stage protocol designed by the extension and phytopathology team at INTA San Pedro. The process begins with the initial plot, where each variety undergoes meticulous morphological observation and laboratory testing during its first spring budding. Plants that test positive for any of the analyzed viruses are eliminated, ensuring that only healthy genetic material advances to the pre-increment plot, the main source of buds for growers.

For nursery growers, the systematization continues in the propagation plots, spaces where the mother plants destined for obtaining cuttings and buds reside. This system requires strategic planning: the mother plants must remain identified and in a fixed location for a maximum of five years, guaranteeing absolute traceability of the material. Finally, the production reaches the commercial plot, where the objective is the sale of specimens that have passed specific analyses for the most common rose viruses, such as Prunus Necrotic Ringspot Virus (PNRSV) and Apple Mosaic Virus (ApMV).

Obtaining the certification is not a static process, but rather involves ongoing technical support. Throughout the production cycle, the farms receive advisory visits to oversee everything from planting the cuttings and the success of the grafts to the final health inspection prior to marketing. This scientific and operational process is what allows the plants, since 2020, to reach the public with the guarantee of a value-added product meeting national health standards.