Model Centre on Floricultural Excellence has been established at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya with the fund support from RKVY through the Department of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture, Government of West Bengal as an institutional vehicle to operate the functions to lead the conservation of the floricultural treasure of Eastern India with special reference to West Bengal and to promote the technological advancements, entrepreneurship development, linkages to commerce and industry and to act as a physical and service infrastructure. The main purpose of setting up the Centre was to establish infrastructure with all modern gadgets including high-tech protected units to make it a complete centre for research and development, training and mass production of different selected ornamental crops suitable to the local climatic conditions. Basic objective was standardization of hi-tech cultivation of the high value ornamental crops suitable for the region and training and farmer’s awareness development in protective crop technology as well as development of work force to meet the demands of the growing Floriculture Industry. Genetic resource conservation of precious ornamentals including the aquatic ornamentals, landscape plants, turf grasses, house plants, indigenous tropical orchids, etc to serve as a gene bank for the growers and nurseries was emphasized.

• Establishment of infrastructure with all modern gadgets including hi-tech poly house, shade house, automated fertigation system, training hall, sorting and grading unit, tissue culture unit to make it a complete centre for “Research and Development”, training and mass production of different selected ornamental crops suitable to the local climatic conditions;
• Development of treasure blocks for ornamental germplasm particularly of the cut flowers like Gerbera, Dutch Roses, Carnations, Anthuriums, Chrysanthemum, dahlia, marigold, gladiolus, tube rose, Hibiscus, few orchids such as Dendrubium, Vanda, Phalanopsis & Cattleya, different house plants and cut foliage ornamentals.
• Standardization of the package of practices for selected crops particularly Gerbera and Dendrubium orchid under poly house.
• Standardization of post-harvest operations for cut flowers of different species in this climatic condition.
• Arrangement for training programmes for capacity building of the farmers, entrepreneurs to take up hi-tech horticulture venture in the state as well as to develop the work force to meet the demands of the growing floriculture industry;
• Mass propagation of disease free quality planting materials of locally grown flowers and other ornamentals including foliage and other filler plants;
• Establishment of linkage between producers and market through service providers;

• Four hectare land has been developed through different earth works like, excavation, soil filling, leveling and engineering works like, construction of boundary wall, water tank, electrical fitting, irrigation arrangement, etc. as “Floricultural hub” and demonstration centre.
• Construction of Five units of naturally ventilated hi-tech polyhouse (1008 sq m each) with fogger and fertigation system (Total 5040 sq m area).
• At present four units are planted with gerbera and one unit with Dendrobium orchid.
• Construction of one unit of shade house of 1000 sq m area including potting shed.
• Installation of fertigation and fogger system system in the entire polyhouse and shade house arena.
• Construction of automated “Master Fertigation Control Unit” along with one 50,000 litre capacity GENAP water storage tank.
• Construction of a training hall cum grading – sorting unit of 1000 sq ft area.
• Installation of drip and sprinkler irrigation system in one ha open field for germplasm repository.
• Development of one tissue culture laboratory with partial instrument facilities for mass propagation of selected ornamentals.
• Development of germplasm resource of different ornamentals
  • Gerbera (30 varieties) in 3000 sq m area in poly house
  • Dendrobium orchids (8 varieties) and Phalaenopsis orchid (14 varieties) in 1000 sq m area in poly house
  • Chrysanthemum (250 varieties)
  • Rose (189 varieties)
  • Adenium (100 types)
  • Gladiolus (46 varieties/ accessions)
  • Dahlia (40 varieties)
  • Anthurium (10 types)
  • Shrubs (30 different types)
  • Flowering trees (15 different types)
  • Marigold (20 varieties/ lines)
  • Tube rose (20 varieties/ lines)
  • Climbers (16 different types)
  • House plants (60 different types)
  • Ferns (10 different types)
  • Palms (10 different types)
  • Turf grass (2 species)

• Standardization of production and protection technologies of gerbera, orchids, chrysanthemum, rose and other important ornamental crops.
• Studies on the response of different ornamental crops to different growing media.
• Nutrient management for high value ornamentals under poly house.
• Pest and disease dynamics under poly house condition.
• Standardization of post-harvest operations for cut flowers of different species
• Production of quality planting material production of high value ornamentals
• Organizing training programmes for hi-tech cultivation, packaging and forwarding and marketing of different high value ornamental crops.