Effect of Different Growing Media on Growth and Flower Production of Oriental Lily (Lilium orientalis)

Abstract

Oriental lily (Lilium orientalis L.) is a popular and beautiful flowering plant known for its large, colorful, and fragrant blooms. Oriental lilies are perennial plants that grow from bulbs and can reach impressive heights, producing tall and sturdy stems. Their flowers come in various striking colors, including shades of pink, white, red, and bi-color combinations. Growing media, also known as potting mix or substrate, refers to the material used to grow plants in containers, pots, or raised beds. It is a crucial component in container gardening and hydroponics, as it provides physical support, nutrients, and aeration for plant roots to grow and thrive. Therefore, present investigation was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh during Winter-2022-23 with a view to determine the effect of different growing media and different varieties of oriental lily for its growth, flowering, yield and to work out the economics of various treatments. Under this experiment, two factors viz., 3 different varieties (factor A) and 6 treatments comprising of different growing media (factor B) were used. The study was examined using factorial randomized block design. From the present investigation it is concluded that the media V2M3 (Trocadero variety was grown in Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1) was found to be the best in terms of vegetative growth, flowering, and bulb production. In case of bulblets of lilium, was to all best with media V3M3 (Robina variety was grown in Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1) was found best. The highest benefit cost ratio was recorded 2.57 with a M3 (Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (1:1:1:1).