Impaginato 529 Adv. Hort. Sci., 2019 33(4): 529­535 DOI: 10.13128/ahsc­8178 Effect of different nutrient solution and irrigation regimes on growth of Lily (LA Hybrid ‘Fangio‘) Z.S.N. Mohajer 1, M.H. Asil 1 (*), J.­A. Olfati 1, M.R. Kaledian 2 1 Department of Horticultural, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Guilan University, Rasht, Iran. 2 Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Guilan University, Rasht, Iran. Key words: nutrition, soilless culture, vase life, water consumption. Abstract: A better understanding of the effects of nutrients element and irriga­ tion levels on production of Lily (Lilium LA Hybrid Fangio) can lead to optimal uses of nutrients and water. Plant growth is strongly correlated with the amount of irrigation and fertilization. In this regard, a greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of different nutrient solution viz. high concentration of elements (S1), medium concentration of elements (S2), and high concentration of elements (S3) under different irrigation regimes (100, 90, 80 and 70 % of field capacity (FC) in soilless culture. In well­watered treatments (100% FC), S3 enhanced the vase life by 17% compared to S1. The maximum leaf number was observed in the interaction of S3 and 90% FC, whereas its min­ imum was found in the interaction of S1 and 70% FC. Under 70% FC, S3 increased the leaf length by 6% in comparison with S1. Leaf width was altered by simultaneous use of nutrient solution and irrigation, ranging from S2 and 80% FC (13.3 mm) to S1 and 70% FC (9 mm). In S3, 70% FC decreased the bud length by 9% relative to 100% FC. The days until flowering varied from the interaction of S2 and 70% FC (4.1 days) to S1 and 100% FC (6 days). Under S1 treatments, 70% FC decreased the flower number by 18% compared to 100% FC. The highest weight of daughter bulb was observed in interaction of S2 and 80% FC. In contrast, the lowest weight of daughter bulb was found in S2 and 90% FC. 1. Introduction Lilies have become economically important, mainly because of beauti­ ful, large, attractive and fascinating form of flowers, long vase life and capacity to rehydrate after long transportation. Bulbs are produced com­ mercially for use in the cut flower and potted plant industries (Aslam et al., 2013; Al­Allaq et al., 2014). The importance of this genus in the world flower market is due to the existence of a wide variety of hybrids and numerous commercial cultivars (Dhyani et al., 2009). In recent decades, supplying the nutrient solution to plants in order to optimize crop nutrition has been widely used in both soil and soilless cul­ (*) Corresponding author: asilhassanpour@yahoo.com Citation: MOHAJER Z.S.N., ASIL M.H., OLFATI J.­A., KALE­ DIAN M.R., 2019 ­ Effect of different nutrient solution and irrigation regimes on growth of Lily (LA Hybrid ‘Fangio‘). ­ Adv. Hort. Sci., 33(4): 529­ 535. Copyright: © 2019 Mohajer Z.S.N., Asil M.H., Olfati J.­A., Kaledian M.R. This is an open access, peer reviewed article published by Firenze University Press (http://www.fupress.net/index.php/ahs/) and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Received for publication 2 August 2019 Accepted for publication 30 August 2019 AHS Advances in Horticultural Science http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Adv. Hort. Sci., 2019 33(4): 529­535 530 ture under greenhouse conditions (Savvas et al., 2013). Nutrient solution management can provide a sustainable and effective schedule in floriculture by applying different horticultural practices such as water use efficiency. It has been estimated that 100­ 350 L of water are needed to produce 1 kg of plant dry matter, and this may vary with species and vari­ ety, cultivation system and plant growing season (Cassaniti et al., 2012). The lack of dependable sup­ plies of good quality water in many regions of the world has become a concern among agricultural, urban, industrial and environmental components (Valdez­Aguilar et al., 2009). Optimal irrigation sched­ uling could lead to higher water use efficiency. It is also very important since it influences the rhizos­ phere environment, media water potential, and salt accumulation, which in turn affects plant growth, photosynthesis and consequently crop production and quality (Tsirogiannis, 2010). Appropriate use of water supply and nutrients results in better water use efficiency, stressful situations, and control pro­ duction (Raviv and Blom., 2001). Since in soilless cul­ ture systems the water is generally distributed in excess, and consequently the nutrients are removed from the substrate by drainage water and accumu­ late in the recirculating nutrient solution, which has to be flushed out regularly, representing the negative environmental impacts (Rouphael and Colla., 2009; Wortman, 2015). In bulbous ornamental plants, the flower production and bulb yield are remarkably important in their profitability (De Vroomen, 1993; Maroyi, 2016). An accurate schedule on nutrients and water supplies may decrease production costs and the risk of water pollution (Dufour and Guérin., 2005). Hence, it is essential to have a good knowl­ edge of the plant’s mineral requirements in order to avoid nutrient waste. On the other hand, it is neces­ sary to limit mineral imbalance in the medium by assuring a minimal leaching of excess nutrient solu­ tion (Chang et al., 2010). Recently, some nutritional solution formulas and irrigation levels have been used to increase the pro­ duction efficiency, which the suitability of these treatments should be considered with appropriate levels of nutrients and irrigation (Grewal and Maheshwari, 2011; Waraich et al., 2011; Grzebisz et al., 2013; Quaggio et al., 2019). The intent of these studies was to develop the optimal irrigation and nutrient systems that could meet the high productivi­ ty of plants with explaining different levels of nutri­ ents and water supply. To our knowledge, there is no published document on the water use and nutrients application on the growth of lily. Therefore, the pur­ pose of present study was to assess the simultaneous application of different irrigation regimes and nutri­ ent solutions on growth of lily (Lilium LA sp. cv. Fangio). 2. Materials and Methods Plant material and growing conditions The experiment was carried out during 2016­ 2017, under greenhouse conditions at the research unit greenhouse of Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran, for three months. Inside the greenhouse, venti­ lation was provided automatically when the air tem­ perature exceeded 26˚C. Average day and night tem­ perature were 25˚C and 14˚C, respectively, and aver­ age maximum and minimum relative humidity was 70% and 50%, respectively. Uniform sized bulbs of LA Lilium (Lilium LA. Hybrid) cv. ‘Fangio’ were obtained from a commercial importer (circumference 18­20 cm) and was immersed in a fungicide drench for 10 seconds. The bulbs were cultured in the medium con­ taining cocopeat and perlite (2:1) with EC of 2.95 dS m­1, pH of 5.9, and bulk density of 0.17 g cm­3. The bulbs were cultured in the plastic pots (15 cm height, 17 cm diameter, and 3 liters) on September 2016. Nutrient solution and irrigation regimes The study was designed as factorial based on completely randomized design (CRD) with three lev­ els of nutrient solution and four levels of irrigation in six replications. The nutritional solutions contained a low concentration of elements (S1), medium concen­ tration of elements (S2) and high concentration of elements (S3). The nutrient solutions were prepared based on modified Quick nutrient solution (Olfati, 2015). All chemical substrate (solution or elements) used in the study were purchased from Merk (Darmstadt, Germany). Water regimes were applied at 100, 90, 80 and 70% field capacity (FC). It was con­ ducted based on weighing method as 200 ml for well­ watered treatment (100% FC) followed by 180, 160, and 140 ml for 90, 80 and 70% FC, respectively. The nutrient solutions used in the experiment are shown in Table 1. The concentrations of ions in the irrigation water were expressed as mgL­1 (Table 1). Micronutrients were added to the plants as iron chelate (EDDHA) (0.075 ppm), manganese sulfate 0.001, zinc sulfate 0/01, copper sulfate 0.03, EDTA molybdenum 0.001, and boric acid (H3BO4) (0.02 per­ cent. Two weeks after culturing the bulbs (when the Mohajer et al. ‐ Effect of different nutrient solution on growth of Lily 531 bulbs grew in 10 cm), feeding was carried out manu­ ally according to the plant’s water requirement. Growth parameters At the end of experiment, the bud length, leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves, plant height, number of flowers, time of flowering, number and size of daughter bulb were measured. Flowers were harvested when the first flower in plants was bloomed. Subsequently, vase life was determined. The vase life of individual flowers in an inflorescence was evaluated according to their appearance as the number of days since bud opening till the appear­ ance of deformation because of petal wilting. The vase life of the inflorescence was determined as the number of days from the beginning of the experi­ ment up to the fading of the second flower. The end of vase life was determined by flower wilting, tepal abscission or color change in tepals, while in case of leaves, by color fading of blade, yellowing or dying on 30% of the leaf surface. Statistical analysis The data (n=6) were subjected to one­way analy­ sis of variance (ANOVA) and using the SAS software package for windows (SAS, version 9.3, SAS Institute, Cary, NC). When statistical significance (p<0.05) was detected, the mean values subjected to Duncan’s multiple range tests. 3. Results Vase life and plant height Vase life of lily was affected by nutrient solution (P≤0.05, Table 2). In well­watered treatments (100% FC), S3 enhanced the vase life by 17% compared to S1 (Table 3). Plant height was influenced by the nutri­ ent solution (P≤0.05, Table 2). Plant height was dif­ ferent between treatments, ranging from 18.8 cm in Table 1 ­ The concentration of elements used in the nutritional solution Nutrient solutions (mg L­1) Potassium nitrate Dipotassium hydrogen phosphate Potassium dihydrogen phosphate Calcium nitrate Ammonium nitrate Sodium chloride Magnesium sulfate Ec (dS m­1) pH Nutrient Solution 1 (S1) 631.3 43.5 102 512.5 150 14.6 230.6 1.04 5.8 Nutrient Solution 2 (S2) 757.55 52.2 122.4 615 180 17.5 276.7 2.38 5.4 Nutrient Solution 3 (S3) 883.8 60.9 142.8 717.5 210 20.4 322.8 2.74 5.7 Table 3 ­ Effect of nutrient solutions and irrigation regimes on post vase life, plant height, leaf number and size of lily (Lilium LA sp. cv. Fangio) Nutrient solutions Irrigation regime Vase life (day) Plant height (cm) Leaf number Leaf length (mm) Leaf width (mm) Nutrient solution 1 (S1) 100% 14.6±1.8 c 113.0±2.1 c 92.5±2.5 c 101.5±1.9 de 10.6±1.2 fg 90% 15.1±1.1 a­c 113.5±3.3 c 90.5±2.4 cd 94.8±3.5 f 11.6±1.1 d­f 80% 15.0±1.4 a­c 114.8±2.5 bc 93.5±3.6 c 96.1±4.1 f 9.8±0.5 gh 70% 14.0±1.8 ab 112.8±3.7 c 87.5±1.9 d 90.3±4.2 g 9.0±0.8 h Nutrient solution 2 (S2) 100% 16.5±1.7 ab 115.5±2.1 a­c 96.6±1.9 b 101.5±1.4 de 11.8±0.8 c­e 90% 16.1±1.4 ab 116.8±1.9 a­c 94.0±3.2 bc 109.5±5.1 a 12.8±0.7 a­c 80% 17.0±2.1 a 116.5 ±2.3 a­c 105.0±2.6 a 104.1±2.1 b­d 13.3±0.7 a 70% 15.6±1.2 a­c 116.3.5±4.1 a­c 90.0±1.9 cd 100.2±2.3 e 11.5±0.8 d­f Nutrient solution 3 (S3) 100% 17.0±1.4 a 115.8±3.1 a­c 96.8±1.5 b 107.5±2.1 ab 12.1±0.6 b­d 90% 16.1±1.5 ab 118.8±3.3 a 104.6±2.6 a 105.1±2.3 bc 13.7±0.8 a 80% 15.8±0.5 a­c 118.8±3.2 a 93.5±2.5 bc 102.8±1.8 c­e 13.1±0.6 ab 70% 16.8±1.2 a 118.0±3.4 ab 90.1±3.8 cd 96.8±2.7 f 10.8±0.8 e­g Table 2 ­ Analysis of variance for the studied traits of lily (Lilium LA sp. cv. Fangio) S.O.V df Vase life Plant height Leaf number Leaf length Leaf width Days until flowering Flower number Bulb number Bulb length Bulb width Nutrient solution (NS) 2 22.87 ** 117 ** 229.4 ** 488 ** 35.95 ** 4.05 NS 0.29 NS 10.68 NS 263 ** 0.96 NS Irrigation regime (IR) 3 1.03 NS 11.2 NS 240.7 ** 235 ** 16.52 ** 57.27 NS 11.12 ** 0.12 NS 326 ** 9.14 NS NS×IR 6 2.13 NS 3.24 NS 137.1 ** 64.2 ** 2.22 * 38.27 NS 0.81 NS 0.4 NS 27.7 NS 8.58 * Error 55 2.63 8.2 9.05 8.62 0.83 40.8 0.85 0.77 14.6 3.76 CV 10.24 2.4 3.18 2.93 7.81 8.61 10.56 17.32 3.7 17.81 Adv. Hort. Sci., 2019 33(4): 529­535 532 plants supplied with the interactions of S3 and 90% FC as well as S3 and 80% FC to 112.8 cm in plants treated with the interaction of S1 and 70% FC (Table 3). Leaf number and size The number, length and width of leaves were sig­ nificantly changed by nutrient solution, irrigation regimes, and their interaction (P≤0.01, Table 2). The maximum leaf number was observed in the interac­ tion of S3 and 90% FC (104.6 leaf), whereas its mini­ mum was found in the interaction of S1 and 70% FC (Table 3). Under 70% FC, S3 increased the leaf length by 6% in comparison with S1 (Table 3). Leaf width was changed by simultaneous application of nutrient solution and irrigation, ranging from S2 and 80% FC (13.3 mm) to S1 and 70% FC (9 mm). Bud length, days until flowering, and flower number Bud length was affected by nutrient solution and irrigation regime (P≤0.01, Table 4). In plants supplied with S3, 70% FC decreased the bud length by 9% rela­ tive to 100% FC (Table 4).The days until flowering was not significantly influenced by nutrient solution and irrigation regimes (P≥0.05, Table 2). Under the appli­ cation of both nutrient solution and irrigation regimes, the days until flowering varied from the interaction of S3 and 70% FC (69.1 days) to S1 and 90% FC (77.8 days) (Table 4). Flower number was sig­ nificantly affected by irrigation regime (P≤0.01, Table 2). Under S1 treatments, 70% FC decreased the flower number by 18% compared to 100% FC (Table 4). The number and weight of daughter bulbs Daughter bulb number was not significantly influ­ enced by nutrient solution and irrigation regimes (P≥0.05, Table 2). Under the application of both nutrient solution and irrigation regimes, bulb number varied from the interaction of S3 and 100% FC (4.1 bulbs) to S1 and 100% FC (6 bulbs) (Table 4). Daughter bulb weight was affected by the interaction of nutrient solution and irrigation regime (P≤0.01, Table 2). The highest weight of bulb was observed in interaction of S2 and 80% FC. In contrast, the lowest weight of daughter bulb was found in S2 and 90% FC (Table 4). 4. Discussion and Conclusions The results showed that high concentration of the elements (S3) improved the flower and leaf attribut­ es of lily. Treder (2005) reported an improvement of bud length and leaf size under the mixture of multi­ cote and liquid fertilization. The results of morpho­ logical parameters such as leaf size, number of leaves per plant, and flower number in our study are sup­ ported by Khosa et al. (2011), as they observed an increase in growth and flowering with the increasing fertilization level of macronutrients. Also, the results of the previous studies have shown that the height of some cultivars might not be affected by fertilization (Treder, 2003). Therefore, it can be concluded that in different cultivars of the lily, the height and some vegetative growth characteristics are influenced by cultivars (Treder, 2003). Our results are also consis­ tent with Devecchi and Remotti (2003), who studied calla (Zantedeschia aethiopica) in which different doses of nitrogen and potassium did not significantly affect the length of the floral stem. Moreover, the results of plant height are well­supported by Treder (2005) as the application of multicote at three levels and water­soluble fertilizer for some cultivars of lily at during the vegetation period did not significantly affect the maximum plant height in ‘Acapulco’, rela­ Table 4 ­ Effect of nutrient solutions and irrigation regimes on the flower and bulb properties of lily (Lilium LA sp. cv. Fangio) Nutrient Solutions Irrigation regime Bud length (mm) Days until flowering Flower number Bulb number Bulb weight (gr) Nutrient Solution 1 (S1) 100% 98.9±2.5 c­e 71.5±6.1 ab 9.50±0.9 a 6.0±0.8 a 10.7±2.4 ab 90% 101.7±2.7 b­d 77.8±6.5 a 8.16±0.8 bc 5.8±0.6 a 10.1±3.1 ab 80% 98.4±2.9 c­e 74.6±6.9 ab 9.00±1.1 a­c 5.6±0.7 ab 12.1±2.8 ab 70% 92.7±2.5 f 72.0±3.9 ab 8.00±0.6 bc 5.5±0.7 a­c 10.4±3.4 ab Nutrient Solution 2 (S2) 100% 109.1±3.2 a 73.6±5.4 ab 9.16±0.8 ab 5.1±0.8 a­d 11.8±2.1 ab 90% 105.6±2.5 ab 73.3±4.7 ab 8.83±0.9 a­c 5.1±0.4 a­d 8.3±2.6 b 80% 103.1±3.5 bc 74.0±4.6 ab 9.66±0.7 a 4.6±0.6 b­d 12.5±1.1 a 70% 99.2±2.8 c­e 74.6±6.6 ab 7.83±0.9 c 5.1±1.1 a­d 11.7±3.2 ab Nutrient Solution 3 (S3) 100% 103.7±2.4 bc 76.1±6.8 ab 9.66±0.7 a 4.1±0.6 d 10.9±1.9 ab 90% 108.9±3.3 a 77.5±5.8 ab 7.83±0.8 c 4.3±0.4 d 11.1±2.1 ab 80% 103.4±2.8 bc 76.8±4.4 ab 9.50±1.0 a 4.5±0.4 cd 10.1±1.9 ab 70% 95.2±2.7 ef 69.1±5.1 b 7.83±0.6 c 4.6±0.1 b­d 10.7±2.2 ab Mohajer et al. ‐ Effect of different nutrient solution on growth of Lily 533 reported, which is probably due to K role in water relations, turgor maintenance, and cell expansion (Mengel and Kirkby, 2001). Thus, an ample supply of K is recommended for leaf development, which will contribute to plant quality since the foliage is consid­ ered an important quality factor to Lilium (McKenzie, 1989). Thus, Lilium can be considered as a species that is compatible with a wide range of nutrient con­ centrations. Nitrogen is an essential component of chlorophyll, in this connection, the nitrogen content of leaf correlates positively with the leaf chlorophyll content (Loh et al., 2002). Kang et al. (2016) showed that an increase in fertilization can reduce the severi­ ty of chlorosis in pansy. They pointed out that leaf chlorophyll concentration increased asymptotically with fertilization rate, which finally increase the leaf size and plant height. In order to reducing over watering, we investigat­ ed the water use efficiency and nutrient elements in different nutrient solution and irrigation regimes to ensure adequate water for plants during the growth periods. Outcomes of the present study indicated that Lilium LA Hybrid ‘Fangio’ can be properly grown in medium levels of irrigation with no significant change in its morphological properties. 70% FC slight­ ly changed the plant growth particularly leaf size and bud length. Hence, to optimum use of water, we can reduce the water amount to 80% FC even 70% with high use of nutrients concentration. References AL­ALLAQ H., ALI H., HAZZIM Y., 2014 ­ Hybrid lilies under bulb removal stress. ­ Agri. Research, 8: 631­637. ASKER H.M., 2015 ­ Hydroponic technology for lily flowers and bulbs production using rain water and some com‐ mon nutrient solutions. ­ Afr. J. Biotechnol., 14(29): 2307­2313. ASLAM F., NAZ S., TARIQ A., ILYAS S., SHAHZAD K., 2013 ­ Rapid multiplication of ornamental bulbous plants of Lilium orientalis and Lilium Longiflorum. ­ J. Botany., 45(6): 2051­2055. 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The increase of morphological properties of lily fertilization is due to the significant role of essential element presented in the nutrient solution on plant growth. For example (N), Nitrogen is a major constituent of most impor­ tant plant substances. N compounds comprise 40% to 50% of the dry matter of protoplasm, and it is a constituent of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. It is also an essential constituent of chloro­ phyll. N deficiency most often results in stunted growth, slow growth, and chlorosis. Potassium (P) regulates the opening and closing of the stomata by a potassium ion pump, which has a significant role on leaf and flower growth. Additionally the outstanding role of magnesium in plant nutrition is as a con­ stituent of the chlorophyll molecule (Vatansever et al., 2017). Vegetative characteristics of plants are subjective to genetic and environmental factors cou­ pled with optimum fertilizer application and water use method (Lucidos et al., 2013). 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