Easter Lily Research Articles

Dye-assisted analysis of fluoride in water using UV–visible spectrophotometry: a preliminary study

ABSTRACT Dye-assisted method for the analysis of fluoride content of water has been developed in this study using dyes obtained from some flowering plants. This was done to evaluate the potentials of locally accessible dyes in spectrophotometrically detecting F– levels in fluoride-containing water samples. Dye solutions obtained from scarlet jungle flame, Hibiscus flower, Peacock flower or Barbados pride, Royal poinciana, Pink bauhinia, Barbados lily, or Easter lily were adopted to monitor absorbance and corresponding concentrations of serially prepared F− concentrations in a range of 0.001–0.012 ppm. Dye from the Hibiscus flower gave an optimal performance with R2 = 0.9792. Using this dye, the F– content in water samples obtained from tap waters from Moremi Estate, Modomo, Asherifa, Postgraduate Hall of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and a well water sample from Modomo gave 0.052, 0.053, 0.053, 0.058, and 0.061 ppm, respectively. A comparison of these values indicated that all the water samples monitored were safe for human consumption without experiencing health challenges as the maximum F– limit for potable water recommended by WHO was not exceeded. This study concluded that dye from Hibiscus flower could satisfactorily assist in monitoring F– content in water where ion-selective electrodes are not readily accessible.

Field test of Easter lilies transformed with a rice cystatin gene for root lesion nematode resistance.

Easter lilies, Lilium longiflorum cv. Nellie White are a staple of the floral industry. In the U.S. most of the Easter lilies are grown in Oregon and California along the coast where there is a micro climate that is favorable to growth of lilies. The main pest when growing lilies in the field is Pratylenchus penetrans, the root lesion nematode. Easter lilies are one of the most expensive crops to produce because of the cost of chemicals used to control P. penetrans and other pathogens that infect the lilies. Our previous study had shown that transgenic Easter lilies containing a rice cystatin gene (Oc-IΔD86 that has a deleted Asp86) were resistant to P. penetrans in vitro. This study examined growth characteristics of five independently transformed lines of the cystatin Easter lilies compared to non-transformed Nellie White for three seasons in the field in Brookings, Oregon. Liles grown in three soil chemical treatments 1) preplant fumigation, 2) preplant fumigation plus at plant organophosphate, and 3) at plant organophosphate were compared to those grown in nontreated soil. Growth characteristics evaluated included: time of shoot emergence, survival of plants, size of plants, visual ratings of plant health, basal roots and stem roots, weight of foliage and roots, and number and size of bulblets that developed on stems. Nematodes were counted following their extraction from the roots. While not totally resistant, when planted in the field, transformed lines demonstrated and maintained a degree of resistance to lesion nematode over two growing seasons and displayed desirable growth and quality characteristics similar to non-transformed lilies.

Ireland, Literature, and the Coast: Seatangled by Nicholas Allen

<i>Ireland, Literature, and the Coast: Seatangled</i> by Nicholas Allen

Identification of a Male Sterile Candidate Gene in Lilium x formolongi and Transfer of the Gene to Easter Lily (L. longiflorum) via Hybridization.

Pollen-free varieties are advantageous in promoting cut-flower production. In this study, we identified a candidate mutation which is responsible for pollen sterility in a strain of Lilium × formolongi, which was originally identified as a naturally occurred male-sterile plant in a seedling population. The pollen sterility occurred due to the degradation of pollen mother cells (PMCs) before meiotic cell division. Genetic analysis suggested that the male-sterile phenotype is attributed to one recessive locus. Transcriptome comparison between anthers of sterile and fertile plants in a segregated population identified a transcript that was expressed only in pollen-fertile plants, which is homologous to TDF1 (DEFECTIVE in TAPETAL DEVELOPMENT and FUNCTION1) in Arabidopsis, a gene encoding a transcription factor AtMYB35 that is known as a key regulator of pollen development. Since tdf1 mutant shows male sterility, we assumed that the absence transcript of the TDF1-like gene, named as LflTDF1, is the reason for pollen sterility observed in the mutant. A 30 kbp-long nanopore sequence read containing LflTDF1 was obtained from a pollen-fertile accession. PCR analyses using primers designed from the sequence suggested that at least a 30kbp-long region containing LflTDF1 was deleted or replaced by unknown sequence in the pollen-sterile mutant. Since the cross between L. × formolongi and Easter lily (L. longiflorum) is compatible, we successfully introgressed the male-sterile allele, designated as lfltdf1, to Easter lily. To our knowledge, this is the first report of molecular identification of a pollen-sterile candidate gene in lily. The identification and marker development of LflTDF1 gene will assist pollen-free lily breeding of Easter lilies and other lilies.

Burnout

Old Easter lilies, leaves wilting, when all around grass gleams, palms dapple, trees fruit.One morn,they were shorn, chopped, bruised, green things, burnt out. “How will they survive?” I asked the gardener. “The bread-winner leaves cannot work.” “The bulbs will grow,” He said.“Can bulbs grow without the leaves that fed them?”“The quiet womb of Mother Earth and safe sure arms of Father Heaven have food enough,” He said. Un-knowing, un-doing, just being,seasons passedin moons and stars.Then a brave shy flower, a babe in arms,heard the Light,smiled colors bright, and Christmas dawnedon Easter morn.

&lt;i&gt;Fusarium oxysporum&lt;/i&gt; as a Pathogen of Pot Plants: a Case Study of the Easter Lily Cactus (&lt;i&gt;Echinopsis oxygona&lt;/i&gt;) in Poland

&lt;i&gt;Fusarium oxysporum&lt;/i&gt; as a Pathogen of Pot Plants: a Case Study of the Easter Lily Cactus (&lt;i&gt;Echinopsis oxygona&lt;/i&gt;) in Poland

Transcriptome Analysis by RNA\u2013Seq Reveals Genes Related to Plant Height in Two Sets of Parent-hybrid Combinations in Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum)

In this study, two different hybrids of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), obtained from two cross combinations, along with their four parents were sequenced by high–throughput RNA–sequencing (RNA–Seq) to find out differentially expressed gene in parent-hybrid combinations. The leaf mRNA profiles of two hybrids and their four parents were RNA–sequenced with a view to identify the potential candidate genes related to plant height heterosis. In both cross combinations, based to morphological traits mid–parent heterosis (MPH) was higher than high–parent heterosis (HPH) for plant height, leaf length, and number of flowers whereas HPH was higher than MPH for flowering time. A total of 4,327 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through RNA–Seq between the hybrids and their parents based on fold changes (FC) ≥ 2 for up– and ≤ –2 for down–regulation. Venn diagram analysis revealed that there were 703 common DEGs in two hybrid combinations, those were either up– or down–regulated. Most of the commonly expressed DEGs exhibited higher non–additive effects especially overdominance (75.9%) rather than additive (19.4%) and dominance (4.76%) effects. Among the 384 functionally annotated DEGs identified through Blast2GO tool, 12 DEGs were up–regulated and 16 of them were down–regulated in a similar fashion in both hybrids as revealed by heat map analysis. These 28 universally expressed DEGs were found to encode different types of proteins and enzymes those might regulate heterosis by modulating growth, development and stress–related functions in lily. In addition, gene ontology (GO) analysis of 260 annotated DEGs revealed that biological process might play dominant role in heterotic expression. In this first report of transcriptome sequencing in Easter lily, the notable universally up-regulated DEGs annotated ABC transporter A family member–like, B3 domain–containing, disease resistance RPP13/1, auxin–responsive SAUR68–like, and vicilin–like antimicrobial peptides 2–2 proteins those were perhaps associated with plant height heterosis. The genes expressed universally due to their overdominace function perhaps influenced MPH for greater plant height― largely by modulating biological processes involved therein. The genes identified in this study might be exploited in heterosis breeding for plant height of L. longiflorum.

Blackout Reduces Height of Easter Lily but End-of-day Red Light Treatment Using Light-emitting Diodes Does Not

One principle for reducing undesirable stem extension in greenhouse production is to counteract the decrease in red-to-far red ratio that occurs naturally during twilight periods. This study evaluated three lighting treatments on the morphology of easter lily (Lilium longiflorum): 1) a 1-hour end-of-day treatment providing 20 μmol·m−2·s−1 of monochromatic red light (EOD R), 2) blackout curtains closed 45 to 75 minutes before sunset and kept closed until 0 to 60 minutes after sunrise (BO), and 3) a control with natural twilight (CTRL). Plants under the BO treatment were 11% shorter than CTRL, while plants exposed to EOD R did not differ in height compared with BO or CTRL. There were no treatment effects on any other measured parameters, including aspects of flowering.

Lily steroidal glycoalkaloid promotes early inflammatory resolution in wounded human fibroblasts

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe bulbs and flowers of plants from the Lilium genus have historically been used in Asian and Greco-Roman medicine to treat burns and promote skin healing. Aim of the studyTo evaluate a steroidal glycoalkaloid isolated from Easter lily bulbs for its potential wound healing promoting properties. Materials and methodsA lily-derived steroidal glycoalkaloid (LSGA), (22R, 25R)-spirosol-5-en-3β-yl O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranoside, was isolated from Easter lily bulbs, and its structure was confirmed by LC-MS and NMR spectrometry. LSGA effects on wound scratch closure were evaluated in a primary human dermal fibroblast cell culture, and the changes in gene expression profiles were quantitated using an 84 wound-related gene qPCR microarray. ResultsLSGA promoted migration of dermal fibroblasts into the wounded area. The treatment was associated with a rapid upregulation of early inflammatory (CD40LG, CXCL11, IFNG, IL10, IL2 and IL4), cell growth (CSF3 and TNF) and remodeling (CTSG, F13A1, FGA, MMP and PLG) genes both in the wounded and unwounded cells treated with LSGA. A selective decrease in gene expression profiles associated with inflammatory (CXCL2 and CCL7) and remodeling (MMP7 and PLAT) phases was observed in wounded cells treated with LSGA, in contrast to the wounded cells (control). ConclusionThis study demonstrates that a glycoalkaloid present in lilies promoted fibroblast migration in vitro and affected inflammatory, remodeling and growth factor gene expression. The decreases in expression of key genes may impact the wound healing process, possibly contributing to an earlier end of the inflammatory response and shortening the early phases of model tissue reconstitution. The results of this preliminary investigation may provide a basis for the historical use of lily bulbs to promote dermal healing after injury.

Essential oils for managing Pratylenchus penetrans on Easter lilies.

Easter lily bulbs for greenhouse forcing are produced in Del Norte County, California and Curry County, Oregon, USA. Pratylenchus penetrans infestation seriously affects growth of field grown bulbs. During two consecutive years of field trials containing 22 treatments, commercially prepared formulations of essential oils (EOs) were compared to an untreated control and to a standard chemical fumigant treatment (FU) (1,3-dichloropropene and metam sodium) applied preplant followed by phorate (PH) at planting to determine their value in the management of lesion nematode, and in improving plant health. The EO products Duogard, EF400, EF300, and Cinnamite were tested as preplant dips to bulblet planting stock. The treated bulblets were tested either alone, in combination with PH at-planting, at planting following FU or in combination with PH at planting following FU. The organophosphates ethoprop and fosthiazate were also tested either alone, or at a reduced rate in combination with a reduced rate of PH. With respect to bulb circumference, ten treatments consistently outperformed the control. In consecutive years, three treatments had healthier looking roots than the control. At harvest, levels of lesion nematode within roots were consistently lower in nine treatments. EOs were beneficial in mitigating nematode damage.

Silence and Service: Searching for My Grandfather

Silence and Service: Searching for My Grandfather Nessa O’Mahony (bio) Creagh Cemetery, Ballinasloe, County Galway, 2012 We are the last to arrive, scrabbling our way through the new graves at the back of the cemetery in order to get a good vantage point. There must be two hundred people here, gathering round the open plot and spilling backward down the paths where cars have been parked by those who couldn’t get a spot in the small carpark to the front of the graveyard. My sister left her car on the Roscommon road; we pray that her English registration plates won’t attract unwanted attention. The rain holds off, though the low cloud has threatened all day, making its own contribution to the somber mood: the “pathetic fallacy,” my mother will pronounce later. The prayers are getting underway; my uncle’s coffin is still being shouldered by the escort of six middle-aged, balding men who had gathered around the entrance of the funeral home earlier in the day and who’d carried the casket, shrouded under an Irish flag, to the church with military precision. Each wears an Easter lily made out of cloth and pinned to their lapels. They approach the open grave and begin to lower the coffin, guided by two attendants who have been waiting quietly beside the mound of earth. The flag has been removed and folded in a precise square before being handed to my aunt, who clutches it to her. The priest begins to lead the prayers. I glance over at my mother. My oldest brother is beside her should support be needed, but she stands there erect and wet-cheeked. She knows the ritual. This is the sixth brother she has laid to rest; three are buried in other parts of this cemetery, as are her parents, a nephew, and an infant niece. The graveside oration is conducted by an elderly man who speaks mostly in Irish interspersed with a few English words. My school Irish can’t quite follow the thrust, although I pick up individual words and phrases. I understand his final sentence; how when he was a boy, he’d always wanted to be a member of the clann Mac Cana. The crowd seems to murmur agreement. I understand that feeling. For the past thirty-six hours I’ve been surrounded by that clann; I’ve seen men and women, little boys and girls who bear the hallmark wiry blond [End Page 9] hair, the high cheekbones and foreheads, the pale blue eyes. I’ve felt strangely proud to be identified as one of them. All my life I’ve heard stories about this clann. About the ten little girls and boys ranging over Ballinasloe during the 1930s and ’40s, watching drowned dogs float down the River Suck, stealing coffin lids to use as improvised rafts, swinging out of trees, and raiding the ammunition store to construct makeshift explosions. The stories that have gripped me the most have been those surrounding the man who fathered those children, my grandfather Michael McCann, the quiet man from North Mayo who was involved in all the major conflicts of the first quarter of the twentieth century. Like many of his generation, he never spoke about his exploits. Stories filtered down through my grandmother and mother about the horrors he must have seen, the comrades lost, the quiet bravery he took for granted. I’d been planning to write at length about him for some time. The most I had mustered had been passing references in some of my poems. In one, I refer to his walking stick, which currently rests in my mother’s stick stand and which mirrors an earlier stick he is photographed with when posing in his British Army uniform during World War I. In another, I picture him discussing with his older brother the prospect of going off to war. I had even made a start on a memoir a few years back, before life, and my own father’s death in 2010, had interrupted. I’d interviewed my aunts and last remaining uncle, Liam, the one being buried today. Time doesn’t wait for us, I...

Callus and shoot induction of leaf culture Lilium longiflorum with NAA and BAP

Abstract. Lestari NKD, Deswiniyanti NW, Astarini IA, Arpiwi LM. 2019. Callus and shoot induction of leaf culture Lilium longiflorum with NAA and BAP. Nusantara Bioscience 11: 162-165. Lilium longiflorum Thunb., an Easter lily, is a common ornamental plant used as potted plant, cut flower, cosmetic and medicine. The research on tissue culture technique to induce shoots and callus is expected to increase the yield of lilies quickly and efficiently. This study aims to determine the effect of plant growth regulator combination of Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) and Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) on the development of leaf culture and the best concentration for callus induction and shoots of lily plants. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design using leaf explants in Vacin and Went medium, with combination of NAA and BAP (0; 0.5; 1 mg..L-1 ) as the treatments. The result of the eight-week observations shows that the plant growth regulators significantly affected either in days initiation callus, days initiation of shoot, percentage of callus, percentage of shoot, diameter of callus, no of shoot and length of shoot. The combination of 1 mg.L-1 NAA and BAP had the best effect in the percentage of explants forming shoots (100%), means number of shoots (5.8), and means length of shoot (11.6 cm).

Phenylpropanoid Glycerol Glucosides Attenuate Glucose Production in Hepatocytes

An activity-guided fractionation approach revealed several phenylpropanoid glycerol glucosides isolated from the bulbs of Lilium longiflorum Thunb. (Easter lily) with gluconeogenesis inhibitory activities. The strongest activity was observed for (2S)-1-O-p-coumaroyl-2-O-β-d-glucopyranosylglycerol (3), (2S)-1-O-caffeoyl-2-O-β-d-glucopyranosylglycerol (1), and (2R)-1-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-2-O-p-coumaroylglycerol (2) with inhibitions of 51.2, 39.2, and 36.8%, respectively. The p-coumaroyl-based (3) and its acetylated derivative (5) exhibited differential inhibition activity (51.2% as compared to 3.6%), suggesting that natural acetylation decreases the hypoglycemic activity of these compounds. Direct structure–activity analysis of phenylpropanoid glycerol glucosides indicated that the hydroxylation pattern of the hydroxy cinnamic acid moiety and acetylation were responsible for the differences in activity. This is the first report of phenylpropanoid glycerol glucosides as a phytochemical class of hepatic glucose production inhibitors.

Preferences and emotion perceptions of ornamental plant species for green space designing among urban park users in Iran

The main objective of the present study was to explore preferences and emotion perceptions of people in Rasht and Ardabil (Iran) to some ornamental plants in order to help designing appropriate urban green landscapes. The study surveyed urban park users in the two cities in 2017 to identify and compare the most important factors underpinning the viability of public open spaces from the perspective of users (mental aspect) and the extent to which these mental factors match the visual features of the selected spaces (visual aspect). A random sample of 232 individuals was taken from students in Ardabil (119 persons) and Rasht (113 persons). A considerable part of the participants (37.2%) reported a feeling of tranquility when they saw flowers, while 28.8% of the participants reported a feeling of love. Flower-bearing plant species were more appealing to the participants than leafy ornamental plants. Red was the most preferred flower color (52.1%) followed by violet (18.6%) and orange (11.4%) among the ornamental species commonly used in the design of green spaces, while tulip (Tulipa gesneriana) (29%), rose (Rosa hybrida) (25%), and Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) (19%) were in the first top ranks of preferences, respectively. Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) and garden croton (Codiaeum variegatum) were also reported among preferred species. The results support the assumption of similarity in preferences and requirements of citizens of large cities and despite great diversity in geography, culture, and ethics, people in large cities exhibit similar emotion perceptions. The study findings are expected to support public authorities and urban planners to effectively design and manage urban green spaces to meet users' needs.

The proof is in the bulb: glycerol influences key stages of lily development.

A bulb is a whole plant condensed into an underground organ. A geophyte's bulb comprises both food reserves and important developmental history that may affect its whole growth. In Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum), bulb size is associated with the plant's flowering pathway - vernalization or photoperiod - and also affects sprouting, flower quality and abortion rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons for the major physiological differences between large and small bulbs. Lily bulbs start their development from secondary meristems along the stem, with large bulbs being heavier and bear more scales than small ones. Peeling the outer scales of a large bulb converts its physiological responses into those of a small bulb, implying that the physiological discrepancies in plants developing from large or small bulbs are mediated by factors inherent to the bulb. We therefore performed broad analyses of the metabolite composition in the scales of bulbs subjected to temperature regimes affecting further plant development. We found a striking association between the level of glycerol, a primary metabolite mostly synthesized in the outer scales, and a delay in sprouting and flowering time, and reduction in abortion rate. Exogenous glycerol application to the bulbs before planting corroborated these results. Moreover, transcriptome analyses showed that flowering-promoting gene expression was downregulated in the bulb after glycerol treatment, while potential flowering inhibitor as well as a dormancy-related gene expressions were upregulated. Based on these studies, we postulate that glycerol is a major factor influencing both vegetative and reproductive development in lily.

Transgenic Lilium longiflorum plants containing the bar-uidA gene controlled by the rice RPC1, Agrobacterium rolD, mas2, and CaMV 35S promoters

Lilies are grown in the field for bulb production where they are susceptible to infection by Pratylenchus penetrans, the root lesion nematode. These migratory nematodes feed on roots and often physically disrupt the root tissues when many nematodes enter and move throughout the root to feed. The goal of this study was to find a root-specific or root-preferred promoter because of our interest in genetic engineering of lilies for nematode resistance. Several promoters, the Agrobacterium rolD and mas2, CaMV 35S, and rice RPC1 were examined in transgenic Lilium longiflorum, Easter lily, plants that contained the bar-uidA fusion gene under each promoter. Histochemical staining showed that the rolD, mas2, and CaMV 35S promoters directed gus gene expression in the cortex and stele of transformed roots. Gus expression was limited to the stele of roots with the rice RPC1 promoter making it unsuitable for engineering nematode resistance. The mas2 promoter was found to be expressed primarily in roots rather than shoots whereas the CaMV 35S promoter expressed well in both roots and shoots. Levels of gus specific activity were relatively high for both the mas2 and CaMV 35S promoter in roots but low with the rolD promoter. Because the mas2 promoter had relatively high levels of gus specific activity in roots and not shoots, and expression was throughout cortex and stele tissues of the roots, mas2 appears to be a promising promoter for engineering resistance to root lesion nematodes in Lilium longiflorum.

Growth and development of Easter lily in response to container substrate with biochar

ABSTRACTA greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the growth and flowering of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) grown in a commercial substrate (Sunshine Mix #1) amended with biochar at 0 (control), 20, 40, 60, or 80% (by volume) and fertigated at four different regimes (constant feeding at 200 or 300 mg L−1 N, or at every third watering with 200 or 300 mg L−1 N). The experimental design was a split-plot design with fertigation regime as the main plot and the biochar percentage as the subplot. There was no interaction between fertigation regime and the biochar percentage on growth or development parameters. Neither fertigation regime nor the biochar percentage affected the number of days before full flower, the number of flowers, total shoot dry weight, the number of leaves, and leaf gas exchange rate. Plants grown in 80% biochar had the highest ratio of stem length with green leaves to total stem length. Plants in the two constant feeding groups had higher SPAD readings than those fertigated at every third watering in week 17. In summary, up to 80% biochar could be used as a component to peat-based container substrate without significant changes in Easter lily growth and development.

Flowering physiology and flower development ofLilium longiflorum(Easter lily)

Flowering physiology and flower development of<i>Lilium longiflorum</i>(Easter lily)

Identification, Characterization and Expression Profiling of Stress-Related Genes in Easter Lily (Lilium formolongi)

Biotic and abiotic stresses are the major causes of crop loss in lily worldwide. In this study, we retrieved 12 defense-related expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the NCBI database and cloned, characterized, and established seven of these genes as stress-induced genes in Lilium formolongi. Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends PCR (RACE-PCR), we successfully cloned seven full-length mRNA sequences from L. formolongi line Sinnapal lily. Based on the presence of highly conserved characteristic domains and phylogenetic analysis using reference protein sequences, we provided new nomenclature for the seven nucleotide and protein sequences and submitted them to GenBank. The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) relative expression analysis of these seven genes, including LfHsp70-1, LfHsp70-2, LfHsp70-3, LfHsp90, LfUb, LfCyt-b5, and LfRab, demonstrated that they were differentially expressed in all organs examined, possibly indicating functional redundancy. We also investigated the qPCR relative expression levels under two biotic and four abiotic stress conditions. All seven genes were induced by Botrytis cinerea treatment, and all genes except LfHsp70-3 and LfHsp90 were induced by Botrytis elliptica treatment; these genes might be associated with disease tolerance mechanisms in L. formolongi. In addition, LfHsp70-1, LfHsp70-2, LfHsp70-3, LfHsp90, LfUb, and LfCyt-b5 were induced by heat treatment, LfHsp70-1, LfHsp70-2, LfHsp70-3, LfHsp90, and LfCyt-b5 were induced by cold treatment, and LfHsp70-1, LfHsp70-2, LfHsp70-3, LfHsp90, LfCy-b5, and LfRab were induced by drought and salt stress, indicating their likely association with tolerance to these stress conditions. The stress-induced candidate genes identified in this study provide a basis for further functional analysis and the development of stress-resistant L. formolongi cultivars.

Symptom Development in Response to Combined Infection of In Vitro-grown Lilium longiflorum with Pratylenchus penetrans and Soilborne Fungi Collected from Diseased Roots of Field-grown Lilies

Eight fungal isolates (ELRF 1 to 8) were recovered from necrotic roots of Easter lilies, Lilium longiflorum cv. Nellie White, grown in a field in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The eight fungal isolates were identified by sequencing and molecular phylogenetic analyses based on their ITS rDNA region. Five isolates were identified as Fusarium oxysporum, two as F. tricinctum, and one as Rhizoctonia sp. AG-I. This constitutes the first report of Rhizoctonia sp. AG-I infecting lilies worldwide and the first report of F. tricinctum infecting lilies in the United States. To study and validate their pathogenicity, pure cultures of each isolate were used to infect the roots of Easter lily plants growing in vitro. In addition, Easter lily plants growing in vitro were infected either with or without Pratylenchus penetrans, the root lesion nematode, prior to placing a culture plug of fungus 1 cm from a lily root. Pratylenchus penetrans is a nematode species commonly found in the sampled fields. The presence of both nematode and Rhizoctonia sp. AG-I isolate ELRF 3 in infected lilies was evaluated by molecular analyses, confirming the infection of roots 3 days after inoculation, prior to development of disease symptoms. Necrosis and root rot developed more rapidly with all eight fungal isolates when there had been prior infection with P. penetrans, the major nematode parasitizing Easter lily roots in the field in Oregon.