Cut Flower Production of Lily Bulbs Grown in Different Sites in Argentina - A Comparative Approach

Abstract

Bulbs imported from The Netherlands were multiplied by scaling. The scales were planted in the field and grown for two years in five sites of Argentina: Tucumán, Hilario Ascasubi, Bahía Blanca, Epuyén and Trevelin. Then, the flowering sized bulbs obtained were evaluated in a greenhouse in Bahía Blanca for flower production and compared with bulbs from The Netherlands. The hybrids tested were Asiatic ‘Navona’ and ‘Nello’, Lilium longiflorum ‘White Heaven’ and ‘Avita’, Oriental ‘Dordogne’ and ‘Expression’, LA ‘Fangio’ and ‘Royal Respect’, OT ‘Yelloween’, LO ‘Triumphator’ and OA ‘Fancy Crown’. Argentine bulbs of different hybrids and sites produced cut flowers of good quality, especially regarding the number and size of flower buds. Bulbs of LA ‘Fangio’ produced floral stems of higher quality than those of the other hybrids and showed no difference in quality attributes with respect to the bulb growth site. The three main hybrid groups, L. longiflorum, Asiatic and Oriental, behave differently according to temperature conditions of the site of origin of bulbs, these being the principal factor controlling the growth and development of Lilium. Asiatic and Oriental hybrids are better adapted to cooler climates and produced better flower stems from bulbs grown in Epuyen and Trevelin. L. longiflorum ‘White Heaven’, adapted to warmer climates produced more buds and longer stems if bulbs were grown in Tucumán and Bahía Blanca. Plants from bulbs grown in the south had a shorter cycle due to extra chill hours in field previous to harvest, but had shorter stems. Floral stem quality from local bulbs of the hybrid ‘White Heaven’ was similar to that produced from imported ones.