Lilium candidum bulblet and meristem development

Lilium candidum L., commonly known as the Madonna lily, is a wild Lilium species with medicinal properties and excellent potential as an ornamental crop, but one that has been scarcely investigated. The aim of this research was to study (1) tissue culture propagation of L. candidum bulblets, (2) early bulblet development, and (3) the effect of temperature and bulblet weight on bulblet and plant growth and meristem development. An investigation of the effect of explant type and temperature on in vitro bulblet propagation showed that scales were the most efficient explants for in vitro propagation and that exposing the regenerating bulblets to 15°C for 4 wk increased bulblet weight but reduced the number of bulblets produced. For bulblets planted in soil after 12 wk of exposure to 15°C or 25°C, the fastest growth was observed in the bulblets that had been exposed to 15°C and that had a larger initial size. Histological examination showed that young in vitro-grown bulblets had a rudimentary meristem comprising few cells with no layer organization. After 12 wk of growth, all bulblets showed a layered meristem, regardless of bulblet size or exposure to 15°C. However, an increased amount of leaf primordia was detected in larger bulblets. Furthermore, the histological examination revealed that in L. candidum, as opposed to other lily species, there had been no real "phase change" in the meristem and that the phase change from juvenile to vegetative adult occurred at a much later stage in L. candidum than in other species.