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| Nguyen Hong Vu in the laboratory |
A new trend emerging since early 2006 is that many young people have been proposing creative ideas with high potential for practical application… “All ideas are encouraged to be shared boldly, whether they are simple or complex, easy to understand or quirky.” This is the motto of many current creative youth groups.
“What factors cause roses to bloom as desired?” This is a question that flower growers and many researchers have not yet been able to answer clearly. Yet, Nguyen Hong Vu – a fourth-year student in the Biology Department at the University of Science in Ho Chi Minh City – after one and a half years of diligent research in the laboratory, has found the answer.
| Nguyen Hong Vu may write a doctoral thesis According to Dr. Duong Tan Nhat – Deputy Director of the Dalat Institute of Biology, this is a risky and scientifically challenging topic. Worldwide, successful researchers in this area can be counted on one hand; some have spent their entire lives without making a discovery. It could lead to a doctoral thesis as it explains the mechanism of flowering under artificial conditions. Successfully blooming roses in vitro has significant implications for basic scientific research, including breeding and genetics, and opens up a new market for mini in vitro flowers suitable for modern offices, with distinct benefits such as: low maintenance, small footprint, and long flower lifespan… Hong Yen |
Vu recounted that while studying in his third year, Dr. Duong Tan Nhat, who taught Plant Biotechnology, suggested that he undertake research on roses blooming in vitro. Hong Vu accepted the proposal for a very romantic reason: a love for roses. “After accepting the project, I began to feel anxious because many previous researchers had not succeeded. After several days of contemplation, I was determined to proceed because being afraid of failure without even trying is not my character,” Vu said. After classes, Vu would dive into the internet to seek out relevant materials. He noted, “Worldwide, methods have been found for many types of flowers to bloom in vitro, but for roses, there was only one research project in Singapore in 2000. However, this material only opened the initial steps in studying the factors affecting the blooming of roses.” Vu had to ask his teachers to contact universities around the world to send related materials for successful research on flowers blooming in vitro for further study.
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Roses blooming in vitro |
With foundational knowledge, Vu traveled to Dalat, to the Institute of Biology, to conduct experiments, then went to the Dalat market to purchase various rose varieties to cultivate samples. After more than a year, Vu conducted research on six rose varieties with 80 experiments. However, after a year of testing various parameters such as light, nutrients, and plant growth regulators, most attempts were unsuccessful. “There were times I felt disheartened; after a year, I had not seen a glimmer of hope, and with the graduation report deadline approaching, I thought about the effort, the travel, the sleepless nights monitoring the plants, and the support from my family, and I persisted.” With just over six months left until the results were to be announced, Vu decided to change the components of the medium in the test tubes, and this bold decision “forced” the roses to bloom in vitro. This resounding success received a perfect score from the review committee.
After his success, Vu wrote a report and submitted his research work to the journal “Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture.” To date, after several exchanges of information, the journal’s representative has announced they will publish Vu’s article. Having research published in an international specialized journal is a significant opportunity for Vu to gain recognition in the scientific community…
Meeting Vu at the University of Science, he excitedly shared the good news with us: he has just received a full scholarship to South Korea for a program in Molecular Biology in Medicine. Vu has completed the enrollment procedures and will depart for his studies after celebrating the Lunar New Year with his family.
Thien Long
