Breeding perspectives of Liliums

Abstract

Liliums are a broad group of perennial, leafy stemmed bulbous ornamentals which are classified into different types. Commercial varieties have common problems that reduce the marketability and thus becomes a major concern to the breeders which holds the following points as breeding objectives viz: Resistance to diseases, tolerance to physiological disorders like bud blasts, year round forcing ability, Flower longevity, ethylene resistance, pollen less cultivars, improved fragrance & flower colour, increased floral bud count on small sized bulbs, controlled plant height and tolerance to sub optimal growing conditions. In this paper an attempt has been made to review the details of conventional and non conventional breeding methods to improve the germplasm keeping the above breeding objectives in view.