Development and evaluation of intervarietal hybrids of Asiatic lily (Lilium x elegans Thunb.)

Intervarietal crosses in Asiatic hybrid lilies (Lilium x elegansThunb) were evaluated under Indian environmental conditions for their commercial value. Rapid and highest germination of 57.7% was obtained in Shiraj x Sumplon cross combination, whereas the hybrid Pollyanna x Stargater recorded 21% crossability. A total of 68 progenies were tested for their ploidy levels of which 48.5% were diploid, 10.3% triploid and 41.2% were mixoploids. A high magnitude of variation for different floral traits was recorded in the clones. Majority of triploids and most of the mixoploids produced large flowers with heavy textures. Triploids were considered superior to diploids. These observations indicated the possibility of developing indigenous hybrids of Asiatic Lilium for commercialization.