Blossom at Risk | Climate Change and Its Impact on Floriculture

Dr Zahoor Ahmed Rather

Prof Imtiyaz Tahir Nazki

Blossom at Risk

The global environmental agencies declared 2024 the hottest year and over the course of the last century, the average surface temperature of earth has increased, amounting to around 0.74 ⁰C.As per the Economic Survey, India is the seventh most vulnerable country to climate change and faced severe weather extremes, with 93% of days in 2024 marked by extreme climate events such as heatwaves, cyclones, and floods. As the world grapples with the phenomenon of climate change, one of the most visually striking yet often overlooked casualties is the floriculture industry. From tulips in the Netherlands to roses in Kenya, the delicate balance required for flower cultivation is being disrupted by rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and shifting ecosystems. The floriculture industry employs millions of people, from small-scale farmers in developing countries to large-scale exporters in Europe and Asia. The decline in flower quality and quantity due to climate change could have far-reaching consequences not only affecting global flower supplies but also small-scale flower growers, being the backbone of this industry, and may be forced out of business. At present, 1191 growers registered with Department of Floriculture (J&K) are active in commercial floriculture business generating an income of Rs. 19.42 crores (2023-24) which is under threat due to climate change.

The Kashmir’s temperate climate, fertile soil, and glacial waters have nurtured a flourishing floriculture industry with an area of about 431.25 ha alone under gardens, parks and lawns, attracting tourists all over world. Kashmir once celebrated as the “Garden of Eden” for its riot of colors and fragrances, isnow slowly turning into a battleground where nature and climate change are stuck in a grim struggle. Extreme weather events, like unseasonal frosts, irregular precipitation patterns, prolonged droughts and increased evaporation rates are becoming more frequent. One of the immediate consequences of climate change in Kashmir is the disruption of traditional weather cycles.

The most significant impacts of climate change are the alteration of crop blooming cycles. A shorter blooming season, improper floral growth and colour development, and insufficient flowering are all problems associated with commercial flower cultivation, especially under open field conditions. Thus flower crops like tulip, marigold, gladiolus, annuals grown under open conditions will be greatly affected by these erratic weather changes. Among ornamental crops, flowering bulbs are considered as vital indicators of climate change due to their sensitivity to minor seasonal cues and temperature changes. Warmer temperatures are causing flowers to bloom earlier than usual, disrupting supply chains and affecting seasonal markets. Spring flowering bulbs viz., tulips, daffodils and crocuses are among the first plants to signal the onset of spring, have been observed blooming earlier than historical averages. Warmer winters have caused premature bud formation making them highly susceptible to unexpected frost. Ornamentals such as tulips, daffodils, magnolia, irises which need chilling temperature for flowering are adversely affected. Under present scenario of mild winter and warm spring, the bulb yield oftulip is expected to hit badly.  On the other hand, summers, with prolonged unexpected heat waves have also disruptedthe normal blooming process of flowers. These conditions lead to shortening of flower duration and deterioration of aesthetic and commercial value.

Temperature extremes not only influence the timing and quantity of flowering but also affect flower quality including volatile fragrances of flowers.  Temperature at low to medium range plays a critical role in pigment production especially anthocyanin which contributes to the vibrant colours of flowers.  The extreme temperature has also been linked to declining number of flowering buds and smaller flower diameters in species like Antirrhinum majus and Impatiens walleriana. Any unusual change in photoperiodism and thermoperiodism due to climate change would result in a significant deviation in the flowering patterns of plants such as carnations, chrysanthemums, and poinsettias.

The plant hardiness zones have also been observed to move northward or upwards in response to rising temperatures. Diversity of some alpine species has become vulnerable and their distribution is gradually narrowed. The rhododendrons and other woody ornamentals of lower hills have begun to invade the alpine areas thus changing the composition of plant population. Changes in the timing, duration, and abundance of flowering have the potential to disrupt ecological relationships among plants, pollinators, herbivores, flower parasites and pathogens.

Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns and increased humidity create favourable conditions for outbreak of pests and diseases by expending habitat range that can cause damage to ornamental plants at high scale. This can pose a significant challenge to sustain quality production in floriculture, thus requiring integrated approaches to devise management strategies.

The plight of Kashmir’s floriculture is a microcosm of the global climate crisis. Despite the challenges, the floriculture industry has to adopt innovative approaches to combat climate change. Farmers can take up greenhouse cultivation to have better control of temperature and humidity and drought-resistant flower crops along with precision farming practices like drip irrigation etc. The modern approaches like roof and vertical gardening can play an important role in improving air quality, and reducing surface temperature in the built environment, costs for heating or cooling of building and noise pollution. Interior landscape plants are also useful to enhance indoor environmental quality and improve workplace efficiency. Development of public parks and lawns enriched with native flora improves air quality, mitigate health risk and maintain species diversity. The AI-powered systems can also be used to monitor and optimize the growing conditions of high value crops. Therefore, the future of Kashmir’s floriculture depends on collaborative efforts across all sectors. Policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders must join their hands to work together to execute policies and practices that promote sustainability and protection of the region’s floral heritage and tourism industry associated with it.

The authors are faculty at SKUAST-K’s Division of Floriculture and Landscape, Shalimar. zahoor.rthr@gmail.com