Effects of the Propagation Method and Planting Season of Bulblets on Shoot Emergence and Bulb Enlargement in Korean Native Lilies in Sinomartagon Section

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of the planting season on shoot emergence and the enlargement of bulblets via three propagation methods in Korean native lilies belonging to the Sinomartagon section. One-year-old bulblets of Lilium amabile, L. cernuum, L. lancifolium, and L. leichtlinii var. maximowiczii were obtained through tissue culture, scaling, and seed propagation steps. They were divided into two groups based on the species and propagation method and planted in an open field either immediately in autumn or in spring after wet cold storage. Overall, spring planting increased the shoot emergence rate, delayed the shoot emergence date, and increased bulb fresh weight (BFW) and the bulb enlargement rate (BER) at harvest compared to autumn planting. In terms of the propagation method used to obtain bulblets, BERs were higher in the following order: seed propagation > scaling > tissue culture. Bulblet fresh weights just before planting and BFW at harvest showed an almost proportional relationship regardless of the species, whereas the slope decreased as the bulblet fresh weight exceeded 1.5 g. In terms of species, genetically close L. amabile and L. lancifolium had high BERs, and L. cernuum had a relatively low BER. In conclusion, with regard to bulb production of four Korean native species belonging to the Sinomartagon section, regardless of the propagation method used to obtain bulblets, wet cold storage without planting the bulblets in autumn and subsequently planting them in an open field or greenhouse in the spring for intensive management would be the key to bulb production.