TOKYO >> A genuine blue chrysanthemum has been successfully created through genetic engineering, according to the team behind the project comprising researchers from Suntory Holdings Ltd. and the Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, Japan.

The outcome of the work was published in the U.S. journal Science Advances.

The team said it took genes from Campanula plants, which have blue flowers, and implanted them into a chrysanthemum plant. However, the color of the chrysanthemums that bloomed looked purple. The team then implanted genes from blue butterfly peas, which successfully resulted in beautiful blue chrysanthemums.

The method can be applied to other flowers, such as carnations and lilies, according to the team.

Because the blue chrysanthemum is a genetically modified plant, further improvements will be needed if it is to be distributed as a product, in particular, to reduce the possibility of it being crossed with ordinary chrysanthemums.