Key Points of High-Yield Cultivation and Improved Techniques for Lilies

Lily yields are unstable; some plots suffer "disaster," with early seedling death and almost no yield. To achieve high yields in lily cultivation, focus on the "four improvements."

1. Replace poor-quality seed bulbs with high-quality seed bulbs. For lilies, select superior varieties such as Longya lily (Lilium brownii var. viridulum) as seed. The typical features of Longya lily are: bulbs tightly clasped, scales thick and fleshy at the lower part, pointed and curved at the upper part, shaped like dragon claws, colored like ivory. Leaves on the aerial stem are large and sparse, with no bulbils and no daughter bulbs. Lilies need to be purchased from other locations for seed, which is an important measure for rejuvenation. But pay attention to purchasing seed from mountainous areas with higher altitude and cooler climate. If seed is purchased from low-altitude hilly areas, because the temperature during the lily growing season in the seed-supplying area is relatively high, the seed bulbs generally carry more viruses; after sowing and emergence, viral disease occurs severely, leaves curl or show mosaic patterns, seedlings die early, yield is low, and quality is poor. Selecting seed bulbs with few or no viruses is a key step in high-yield lily cultivation. At the same time, pay attention to selecting seed bulbs that are thick and plump, free of pests and diseases, and free of "bottom-piercing" phenomena. Use seed bulbs propagated from scales or directly use daughter bulbs from the mother bulb as seed.

2. Change early sowing to timely sowing. In recent years, some plots have sown lilies in July, which easily encounter drought and often cause seed rot. The high temperatures in July and early August are not conducive to breaking the dormancy of lily seeds; after sowing, roots often do not grow, and oxidative browning easily occurs, causing seed rot; soil drought causes the scales of the seed bulbs to lose water and dry out. Lilies are best sown from late August to early September; within this range, sow earlier in places with lower temperatures and later in places with higher temperatures. Seed bulbs of lilies dug up or purchased too early can be stored indoors in a cool place by stratification with sand layers and sown at the appropriate time to prevent sowing too early. If drought occurs after sowing, while the soil is still moist, immediately cover with crop straw such as rice straw, which can generally lower the temperature by 2-3°C and reduce soil moisture evaporation; in winter it can also play a role in keeping warm. The covering thickness is 7-10 cm. If the soil is dry after sowing, use furrow irrigation to keep the soil moist.

3. Change wide-bed cultivation to narrow-bed planting. Farmers report that lilies are the hardest to "wait on" because, in addition to viral disease, diseases such as leaf blight, damping-off, phytophthora blight, and root rot also easily occur severely; once severe, they are impossible to guard against and give people headaches. Relying solely on chemical control is not ideal; agricultural control is key. The occurrence of these diseases is greatly related to humidity. April to June is a rainy period, most plots drain poorly, and both soil humidity and humidity between plants are relatively high, so occurrence is more severe. Practice has proved that changing wide-bed cultivation to narrow-bed planting and changing continuous cropping to crop rotation are key measures to control the above fungal diseases. Generally, divide beds at a width of about 1.5 m, and open bed furrows, surrounding furrows, and main furrows well. Bed furrows should be 25 cm wide and more than 20 cm deep; surrounding furrows should be 30 cm wide and more than 25 cm deep; main furrows should be 40 cm wide and more than 30 cm deep, so that after the rain stops there is no standing water in the furrows.

4. Improve disease control methods. Some plots apply chemicals only when diseases break out severely, which is often too late. For diseases, prevention is more important than treatment; prevention should be primary, with both prevention and treatment combined. In addition to the above methods, also control nitrogen fertilizer application, increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer application, and apply chemicals in the early stage of disease occurrence. For viral disease, be sure to control aphids well, and in the early stage of disease occurrence apply Junduqing or Virus A 3-4 times; for damping-off, leaf blight, phytophthora blight, etc., before disease occurs, choose Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:200 times and apply once every 7-10 days.