The impact of various soilless substrates and chitosan application on flowering characteristics of Lilium cv. break out grown under shade net condition

Abstract

The current study, titled “The impact of various soilless substrates and chitosan application on flowering characteristics of Lilium cv. Break Out grown under shade net conditions,” was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, during the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Throughout both years, as well as in the aggregated data, significant differences were noted in the interaction effects of various soilless substrates and the foliar application of different concentrations of chitosan on flowering and bulb yield. The findings revealed that the earliest flowering times, specifically the days required for bud initiation (44.63), the days from bud initiation to bud color appearance (19.17), and the days until flower opening (67.71), were significantly reduced in the treatment T11 (M2: Peat + Perlite + Leaf Mould (1:1:1) + C2: 250 ppm Chitosan). In contrast, the treatment T11 exhibited significantly higher values for flower characteristics, including the average number of buds per plant (3.25) and the flower diameter (14.53 cm).