Galanthus have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. A list of Irish cultivars can be found here Propagation is by offset bulbs, either by careful division of clumps in full growth ("in the green"), or removed when the plants are dormant, immediately after the leaves have withered; or by seeds sown either when ripe, or in spring. Professional growers and keen amateurs also use such methods as "twin-scaling" to increase the stock of choice cultivars quickly. Snowdrops contain an active lectin or agglutinin named GNA for "Galanthus nivalis" agglutinin. In 1995, Árpád Pusztai genetically modified potatoes with the
Chlamydomonas nivalis the cellular response mechanism to stressful conditions given the harsh conditions of its habitat. It is also an important organism to study adaptation to extreme environments and may become one of the leading systems for research in cold adaptation. "C. nivalis" is likely to have strong antioxidant capabilities, a robust repair mechanism, and other components that may be of interest to researchers. Thermophilic microalgae have gained biotechnological interest as a source for thermostable enzymes and commercial interest as a source for astaxanthin. "C. nivalis" could also potentially be a source for pharmaceuticals, supplements, or beauty products if the algae could