Artificial Seeds in Asiatic Lily

Lily is a monocotyledonous species belonging to the Liliaceae, and one of the most important cut-flower species, mainly because of its large, attractive flowers. The Asiatic lilies are the hardiest of all the lily hybrids, they grow very well in USDA Zones 3 to 10, are easiest for the beginner to grow, and are the first to flower each season. In an effort to establish an Asiatic lily in vitro breeding system, we developed a highly efficient plant regeneration system for an elite Asiatic lily hybrid ‘Jocelyn’s Bouquet’.  In vitro bulb scales were used as explants, and somatic embryos developed following embryonic cell induction and somatic embryo induction. Regenerated somatic embryos were matured on artificial seed strength medium after 40 days. The well-developed artificial seeds were directly transplanted to peat moss:perlite:vermiculite (1:1:1) soil and kept under moisture in a growth chamber for acclimatization, and a 100% survival rate was obtained after 25 days of acclimatization. Greenhouse acclimatization is now in progress.