Evaluation of two varieties of lilies (Lilium L.A.) under greenhouse conditions : effects of four potting media and three fertility levels on the growth of the plants

Abstract

Lily plants (Lilium L.A.) are common plants used in the floriculture industry both as cut flowers! and as potted plants for ornamental purposes and are an important marketed crop in many markets, including European, Japanese, and American markets. The study focused on the evaluation of the effects of four different substrates and three different fertility levels on the growth of two varieties of hybrid lilies, Batistero and Brindisi. For our experiment we used as substrates Pumice & Olive Pomace, Sand & Olive Pomace, Sandy Loam & Olive Pomace, and Clay Loam & Olive Pomace. The three fertility levels were the control, the application of Herbagreen and the application of Herbagreen and Fluizan together. The experiment took place on the educational greenhouse of the American Farm School of Thessaloniki. In addition to information about our experiment, we also citate literature relative to the production of lilies and the marketing standards that exist in the market. The results of our experiment showed that the substrate that was the most beneficial to the properties we measured was the Pumice & Olive Pomace, while the Clay Loam & Olive Pomace substrate had the lowest average results out of all the examined substrates. The fertility levels did not seem to have any significant difference probably because we only did one application at a relatively stage of growth. Further research should be done to evaluate the effect of different fertility levels when fertilizers have been applied at three different stages of growth of the plants, while experiments should also be done to test the vase life of the plants under the same conditions.