Assessment of gibberellic acid treatments on vegetative, floral and bulb characteristics of asiatic lilium (Lilium longiflorum l.) cv. Menorca

Abstract

The present study was carried out to find out the appropriate concentration of GA3 for quality flower production of Lilium grown under open field. The Asiatic Lilium variety Menorca was imposed with five treatments and four replications viz., distilled water as control ( T1), 50 ppm GA3 (T2), 100 ppm GA3 (T3), 150 ppm GA3 (T4), 200 ppm GA3 (T5). The treatments were applied as foliar spray after 30 days and 45 days after planting of bulbs. Amidst the different concentrations, spray of GA3 50 ppm was found best for number of days to bud colour break (8.75 days earlier), number of days needed for opening of the first flower (8.33 days earlier). Whereas GA3 150 ppm was found to be most favourable length of flower bud (21%), diameter of flower bud (15%) and diameter of fully opened flower (8%), flowering duration was found to be optimum at GA3 200 ppm which was statistically at par with GA3 at 150 ppm (7.92 days).