Bulb quality and traumatic acid influence bulblet formation from scaling in Lilium species and hybrids

Abstract

Scaling is a common commercial technique to propagate Lilium. The present research work evaluated the impact of genotype, traumatic acid (TA), and initial bulb quality on bulblet production by scaling propagation. Genotypes used were: L. longiflorum Thunb. 'Snow Queen', L. lancifolium Thunb., one Oriental hybrid (L. x 'Stargazer'), and four Asiatic hybrids (L. x 'Enchantment', L. x 'Connecticut King', L. x 'Sunray', L. x 'Cote d'Azur'). The genotypes showed a wide variability in the number (1.1-2.6 bulblets per scale) and biomass (83-295 mg per bulblet) of bulblet production. The same variability was exhibited after treatment with TA, which produced an increase of 20% to 40% in the number of bulblets per scale and also a significant increase in their fresh mass (20% to 60%). Using poor quality L. x 'Cote d'Azur' bulbs adversely affected the biomass and number of bulblets produced on the scales, and this effect was not overcome with TA treatment. Chemical name used: 10(E) dodeca-1,12-dicarboxylic acid (traumatic acid).